


if you wanna break these walls down, you're gonna get bruised

by shizuoh



Category: Haikyuu!!, Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Blood and Violence, Established Relationship, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Graphic Description, Implied Relationships, Love Confessions, Monsters, Multi, Panic Attacks, Survival Horror, Trans Akaashi Keiji, Trans Male Character, Until Dawn AU, cliches, warnings for severe injury gore and death etc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-25
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2018-05-03 08:47:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 72,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5284307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shizuoh/pseuds/shizuoh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>This journal is an account of the wendigo. This creature is REAL and DANGEROUS! If you are reading this, you will have questions. But I do not have all the answers. This is all evidence and stories of my own experience.</em>
</p><p>"...'Wendigo'," Akaashi slowly repeated, narrowing his eyes. He had remembered hearing something about those before. Weren't they some kind of old Native American legend? If so, what were they doing all the way in Japan?</p><p>
  <em>The wendigo grows out of CANNIBALISM! When a human is desperate and craves food, trapped on the mountain in the fierce winter storms, when they have eaten nothing for many days, the Wendigo spirit will begin to possess them. Even the strongest are weak to it. They will kill without remorse. They will eat the flesh raw from the corpses.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The eyes turn first and become milky and white. Then the teeth become longer, like fangs. The creature grows and the skin is pulled taut across the bones.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>There is no avoiding it.</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> :') why am i hurting myself this way
> 
> prepare urselves this is gonna be a bumpy ride

The snow fell prettily onto the cold ground, Hinata mused to himself as he stared out the foggy window of the bus. Kageyama leaned against him, his head on the ginger's shoulder, his breathing coming out in slow, deep exhales onto his neck. Hinata shivered, goosebumps crawling up his spine as he shifted in his seat slightly.

From his seat on the aisle across from them, Tanaka wiggled his eyebrows at Hinata suggestively. The ginger huffed at him, the back of his ears burning as he forced himself to stare out the window again.

Takeda-sensei had explained to them back at the gym that he had arranged an entire training schedule for them at some old, remote mountain. The schools of Aoba Josai, Nekoma, and Fukurodani would also be joining them, as a joint practice. Excited, the entire team packed up quickly for a week at the mountain, and they had set off earlier that day.

Apparently the mountain was farther than they first thought, and most of the team was asleep. The buses of the other schools were ahead of them, some maybe already at the mountain.

It was dark outside, and the stars twinkled and danced in the sky beside the brightly-lit moon. Hinata found himself searching for each constellation.

He heard light chatter from the front of the bus, and peeked over the seats to see Yamaguchi and Tsukishima discussing the stars outside. Yamaguchi pointed out the window, sending a soft smile in Tsukishima's direction. The taller boy scoffed, twirling his headphone cord in his hands, but had the hint of a tiny smirk on his face as his freckled friend continued to marvel at the sky.

Hinata propped his head up with his hand, his eyes slowly drooping as he watched the trees zoom past. The amount of snow gradually began to increase as they drove farther, and Hinata glanced down at his phone. He only had one bar, and he had a feeling that there was going to be no signal once they got to the mountain. He had already let his family know that he was going to be gone for a week, and, being ever supportive, they encouraged him to go. Natsu had been a bit reluctant and upset that he was leaving, but he assured her that when he came back the two would spend an entire day together, and she happily let him leave.

Kageyama shifted in his sleep, moving his head over to the other side of the seat and spreading his legs out on the floor, and Hinata found himself missing his presence on him.

 

* * *

 

It was the early morning when Takeda-sensei and Coach Ukai walked through the bus and woke them all up. As soon as Hinata snapped out of his dream, a cold chill immediately hit him, and he shivered through his jacket. Sure, he had expected it to be cold, but it was freezing!

Kageyama stirred beside him, blinking his eyes awake and groaning as he sat up fully in his seat. Tanaka and Noya were still out cold, having moved to the very back seats sometime during the trip. Coach Ukai was whacking them with a folder while Takeda-sensei watched from behind, a worried look pinched on his face.

Daichi stood, and his cold, grim smile immediately woke everyone up. Suga put a hand on his shoulder, a calming, motherly smile on his face instead.

Hinata blanched, and stood up quickly. He grabbed Kageyama, who was still half asleep, and exited the bus to grab his things. Once he stepped out, he saw the other buses of the other schools lined up, and sped up towards Kenma without a second thought, completely forgetting about his luggage.

Kenma had a duffel bag strapped to him as he stared determinedly at his PSP. He wasn't with Kuroo, which was unusual. Once the older teen saw Hinata running towards him, he paused his game and met him halfway with a small smile.

"KEEEEEEENMAAAAAA!!" Hinata yelled as he nearly crashed into the other boy. He came to a startling halt in front of him, and laughed, throwing his hands in the air. "Isn't this exciting!? A whole week of practice!"

"...I don't have any signal," Kenma mumbled, staring down at his phone dejectedly.

Hinata just smiled brightly.

"OI, DUMBASS."

Hinata's smile fell.

Kageyama grabbed him by the hair, startling Kenma, and yanked him backwards. "You forgot to get your stuff," Kageyama grumbled, pushing Hinata towards the Karasuno bus with a creepy frown on his face. Hinata went pale, and turned around to wave at Kenma before Kageyama practically threw him into the side of the bus.

"Eeeeh?" Kuroo scoffed as he walked up towards Kenma, an amused grin itched onto his face. "What's his problem?"

"I think Kageyama-kun is jealous."

"Jealous?" Kuroo questioned, but then quickly caught on. "Ahahahaha! Young love is so precious, isn't it?"

"...Kuro, you're not  _that_  old."

"Don't talk to your elders like that."

 

* * *

 

"Iwa-chan."

"Shut  _up_."

"Iwa-chaaaaaan."

"...."

"Iwa-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!"

"WHAT!?" Iwaizumi snapped, ripping off the covers as he sat up in his bed.

Oikawa pouted at him. "I'm cold. Can I share the bed with you?"

"What? No."

"Pleaaaase?"

" _No_ , shut the  _fuck_  up already," Iwaizumi cursed, falling back onto the pillow and yanking the covers over his head. "I haven't been able to sleep at all on the way here because of  _you_."

Oikawa huffed, crawling onto Iwaizumi's bed and sitting on his covered lap, his hands on either side of his body. Iwaizumi ignored him, though his ears turned red as he felt Oikawa shift on top of him. Lewd thoughts crawled into his head, and he groaned.

"Shittykawa, I swear to  _God_ —"

"And  _why_  haven't you been able to sleep, Iwa-chan?" Oikawa asked, his eyebrows raised suggestively as he leaned down, his face just inches from Iwaizumi's. 

Iwaizumi blinked up at him, his expression flat. He pushed his face away, harshly shoving Oikawa off him and onto the ground. Wordlessly, Iwaizumi turned his back to him and settled himself back onto the bed.

"Iwa-chan, that hurt!"

"Good."

"Waaah, so mean!"

 

* * *

 

"Oho ho ho?"

"Ohoho ho ho."

"Oho?

"Ohoho!"

Kenma and Akaashi stared blankly at Bokuto and Kuroo as they barked at each other annoyingly. Kenma blinked, unamused, and returned to his game. Akaashi, with nothing to do, simply watched as Bokuto and Kuroo continued with...whatever they were doing.

"Ohoho? Ohoho!"

"Oho ho ho ho!"

"Oho oho ho!!"

"Bokuto-san," Akaashi interrupted with a sigh. "We really must get settled into our cabins."

The two stopped, both of them highly invested in their "oho"s. They stared at Akaashi for a few moments, as if processing his words. Then Bokuto held out his hand to Kuroo dramatically, tears in his eyes.

"Until next time....my friend," he wailed, making a big show of wiping his eyes as Kuroo took his hand, the same expression plastered on his face.

Kenma glanced up, and he scoffed.

Kuroo nodded, and the two exchanged a prolonged and complicated handshake, until Akaashi practically grabbed Bokuto by the collar of his shirt and dragged him away. Kuroo fell to his knees, reaching out for his best friend as he was dragged away. Bokuto held out his hand, sniffling as the two parted ways.

"Why are you so dramatic?" Kenma deadpanned as Kuroo quickly jumped to his feet once Bokuto was out of sight.

"It's in my genes," Kuroo replied happily, throwing an arm around Kenma and grabbing his bag off the snowy ground. The shorter boy just frowned, jostled by the sudden weight leaning on him, and returned to his game as the two walked to their own cabin with the rest of their team.

 

* * *

 

"Uwaah...they're really going at it..." Yachi commented as she and Kiyoko watched the teams play in the old gym near the main mountain lodge.

Kiyoko smiled a bit, and then looked over at the blonde, observing her thin attire. "Are you cold?" she asked, noticing the way Yachi's hands twitched and her fingers were red from being in the cold so long.

The blonde flinched in surprise, and quickly shook her hands in front of her. "N-No! I'm fine!" she assured, and quickly put her hands in her pockets. "I just...um, forgot to bring gloves."

Kiyoko laughed a bit, and then took one of her gloves off. "Here, you can use mine."

Yachi was about to protest, but then she decided to just take the glove. She put it on her left hand, and smiled a bit at the tingling sensation it left on her cold fingers. She clenched and unclenched her fist to let blood flow through, and then squeaked in surprise when she felt someone's hand slip into her right one.

Kiyoko's hand, the one that was void of a glove, was securely holding Yachi's. The blonde felt her face immediately go red, and she almost fell backwards in surprise, her mind screaming and her heart racing with a bunch of jumbled emotions at once.

"Your other hand is cold, right?" Kiyoko said, a tiny blush on her neck. And that was the only explanation she gave.

Yachi gulped, nodded, and squeezed Kiyoko's hand. She smiled when she felt Kiyoko squeeze back.

 

* * *

 

"It's so cold here!" Noya sighed, flopping face-first onto the gym floor after yet another loss against Nekoma. "Even though I'm breakin' a sweat, I'm still cold!"

The penalty for losing were dives, but Karasuno had done so many so far they were worn out, leading to Noya, Hinata, and Tanaka to lay on the floor after the match. 

Yachi handed out water to each of them, and Suga thanked her happily when he took his. He opened it, eagerly taking a drink. Suga glanced over at Daichi, who was stretching his arms above his head, and nearly gulped down the entire bottle in one drink. 

"I'm sure you'll get used to the cold soon enough," Suga gasped, wiping his mouth and nearly coughing from how quickly he had swallowed. From the other side of the court, he heard Nekoma's captain snort at him.

Noya lifted his head, pressing his chin against the floor with a pout. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, and was about to complain to Asahi, but he was nowhere in sight. Noya hopped to his feet immediately, whirling around, but there was no sign of his friend anywhere.

"Anybody seen Asahi around?" he asked in confusion. He had been there during the match, so where could he have gone?

"Ah," Daichi commented, "he said he was going to run to the bathroom before the next game."

"Hm," Noya grunted, although his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Something about that didn't settle right with him.

An odd feeling churned in the pit of his stomach.

 

* * *

 

It felt as if the air of the mountain had changed once the clock hit 12 AM. 

It felt darker than before, heavier than before, scarier than before. No one could put their finger on it. 

They decided to ignore it.

Hinata laid on his stomach on his bunk-bed, kicking his legs in the air. Kageyama was in the bed underneath him, already asleep, with one of his arms hanging off the bed as he drooled onto his pillow.

Hinata smiled a bit and laughed at his appearance before returning to the volleyball magazine he had packed with him. He flipped the page, and shivered as a cold chill blew into the room. He rubbed his hands against his arms, feeling the goosebumps lined throughout, and blinked when he saw a flash of white from the corner of his eye.

He looked up, staring in confusion at the slightly-open door that creaked when the wind hit it. Snow blew in from outdoors, and Hinata nearly fell out of the bed once he heard a distant, shrill shriek.

Hinata jumped out of the bed in a panic, immediately shaking Kageyama. "K-Kageyama!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide. "Did you hear that!?"

Kageyama was out cold, and obviously wasn't going to wake up anytime soon. He didn't even budge, or make any noise as Hinata shook him harder. The ginger groaned in exasperation, and took his coat from the hanger. He put on his gloves and shoes, and cautiously stepped outside.

Hinata glanced around at the darkness, and in a split second of common sense, he took the flashlight from the storage cabinet and closed the door behind him as he stepped outside.

It was so cold he could see his own breath, and Hinata felt himself shiver—from the cold and what was either anticipation or fear.

The ginger's teeth chattered, and he nearly screamed when he heard a shuffling in the bushes, followed by another distant shriek. He froze, standing completely still as his hands shook. There was another scuffle of leaves, and Hinata felt a sigh leave his throat. He shakily turned on the flashlight, and shined it around the thick trees around him.

The shriek had sounded almost human, and Hinata was worried that it had come from someone in another cabin. The shriek seemed panicked, or pained, but each time it echoed through the dead silent atmosphere, Hinata felt a shiver go down his spine.

As he ventured further, a bigger and bigger pit grew in his stomach. He felt nauseous, and his hands were shaking from both cold and anxiety. It was getting hard to breathe, and Hinata felt utterly and absolutely  _alone_. The expanse of dark trees grew larger and larger, surrounding him from every direction, and he was lost. He felt like he was going to cry, and his throat tightened. Hinata dropped the flashlight, and when the scuffling of bushes became louder, he crouched down and covered his head with his arms.

"Hinata?"

Said boy sniffled and lifted his head.

Suga stood there, a concerned look on his face as he quickly knelt down beside him. "Hinata, are you alright?"

Hinata hesitantly nodded, shakily standing and picking up his flashlight. Suga gently took it from his hands, and shined the light around them. "Were you investigating the screams too?" Suga asked.

Surprised, Hinata nodded.

"Mm," was all Suga said in response. He put one hand on Hinata's back, patting him gently as he lead him forward. "I'm going to go ahead to investigate. Do you want to come?"

"...Yeah."

 

* * *

 

The screams lead them to the old bathroom building way out in the woods, far past the cabins and lodge.

The building was run-down and in very bad shape, rusty pipes sticking out in every direction and paint peeling off the splint wood. The door was broken in half, and barely kept onto the hinges. The steps didn't look sturdy or reliable, and most of them were cracked and broken. There was an awful smell coming from inside the building. A rotten, charred stench that wavered throughout inside and drifted out into the cold air of the mountains.

Suga covered his nose with his glove. "Ew."

Hinata grimaced, wrinkling his nose. He immediately hopped over the stairs, preparing to dart inside. Before he ran inside, Suga grabbed onto the back of his coat, and pulled him back a little.

"Wait for me," he commented with an amused laugh.

The two cautiously stepped inside, wincing at the creaking of the broken and dirty floorboards. The inside wasn't any better than the outside. Broken glass and tiles littered the floor, as well as dark red stains and bits of fabric. They could only wonder what could've caused this much destruction.

The stench began to get stronger as they approached the back of the boys' bathroom. Most of the urinals were cracked and fallen onto the ground, and the sinks were in shambles. The stalls were mostly intact, save for the deep scratch marks and splatters of what looked like blood.

Hinata grabbed onto Suga's sleeve.

The older boy gulped and took a step forward, holding out his flashlight and spotting a shadow on the third stall to the left. There was a heavy amount of red liquid coming from underneath it, as well as bits of plaid fabric and hair.

Suga opened the door, and reeled back in shock, knocking both him and Hinata to the floor.

Asahi laid lifelessly against the toilet, his head tilted backwards. A large, bloody gash had been inflicted deep into his neck, nearly separating his head from his torso. The rest of him wasn't much better. His left arm and right hand were missing, and his clothes were stained with red. Too much red. His eyes were wide, and it appeared that one had been stabbed through and nearly removed. It simply hung from his socket from a single cord. His mouth was open and his tongue had been seemingly bit off, and many of his teeth were missing. His hair had been torn, and multiple gashes that looked like scratches adorned his body.

Hinata felt like vomiting. This was just a bad dream. It wasn't real. It wasn't real it wasn't real  _it wasn't real_ —

Two more shrill shrieks came from directly outside the building.

Suga and Hinata screamed.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so sorry @ everyone for what this fic is going to become

Hinata was shaking.

Suga was speechless.

Most of the boys were up out of their beds, having heard Suga and Hinata scream and deciding to get up to investigate. A few of the heavier sleepers were still in bed, oblivious to the horrors that had taken place.

Kenma's hands shook as he stared at the corpse in front of him, and Kuroo quickly shielded his eyes as he lead him away. Akaashi was standing in the back corner against the wall, his head hanging down and his hair falling over his face.

Yachi was crying and screaming as Kiyoko hugged her and tried to get her to calm down. Daichi held Suga as he sobbed into his shoulder.

Hinata sat alone outside, underneath a tree. His knees were tucked into his chest, and his head was buried in his arms as his fingers gripped at his hair. His body trembled uncontrollably, and tears spilled down his cheeks as he whimpered and sobbed. He couldn't get  _it_  out of his head. Asahi's corpse, the revolting smell, the shrill shrieks, the images of whatever  _animal_  could've done  _this_  to him—

He felt like screaming, vomiting, and crying all at once. He couldn't breathe he was choking  _oh god_ —

Panic swelled in his throat and his chest tightened. His teeth chattered, his fingers twitching. Images of Asahi flashed through his mind, and he let out a broken whine as the image of Asahi's corpse magnified itself over and over and over and  _over_.

_A large, bloody gash had been inflicted deep into his neck, nearly separating his head from his torso._

Hinata inhaled shakily. He could see it clearly. The glistening wound and the muscle torn from bone.

_His left arm and right hand were missing, and his clothes were stained with red. Too much red. His eyes were wide, and it appeared that one had been stabbed through and nearly removed. It simply hung from his socket from a single cord._

It had almost looked like it could've swung back and forth.

_His mouth was open and his tongue had been seemingly bit off, and many of his teeth were missing. His hair had been torn, and multiple gashes that looked like scratches adorned his body._

His wounds couldn't have been from any kind of weapon. It  _had_  to be an animal. It  _had_  to be the owner of the shrill shrieks from earlier.

But Hinata could hardly think at the moment. All that ran through his mind was  _Asahi's dead Asahi's dead Asahi's dead Asahi's dead_.

Without any warning, he was gone. And he had been found in the most gruesome way possible.

Hinata's stomach churned.

He wanted to go home. He wanted to roll up in his bed and cry, scream, sob— _anything_. He  _had_  to get off this mountain. His throat tightened even at the thought of staying up here any longer.

Hinata scratched at his arms, and began to cry again.

 

* * *

 

The buses' tires had been slashed, the windows broken into shattered pieces, and long, deep claw marks patterned across the sides.

Inside the claw marks were the faintest hint of blood.

 

* * *

 

Everyone sat in the lodge, Coach Ukai and Coach Nekomata having just delivered the news about Asahi Azumane to the others who weren't awake to see it themselves (lucky them).

Hinata and Suga were dead silent, and neither of them had said a word since the incident.

Ukai looked at his watch. "... Asahi Azumane's body was estimated to be found at 11:30 PM last night," he said solemnly.

A few glanced at the overhead clock in the main room of the lodge. It was currently 1:13 AM.

While the others were being awakened to receive the news, the adults took to themselves to carefully place Asahi's body in a separate room, using a trash bag as a substitute to a body bag. Then they proceeded to gather everyone in the lodge, and delivered the news to the ones who were not around to witness the scene.

It was awful. No one could even  _begin_  to describe it.  _No one_  could've expected it. They all had come up here to train, to have fun, to hang out with friends. It was supposed to be  _fun_. It was supposed to be  _helpful_. It was supposed to be an exciting experience—one they would remember forever.

Well, they  _would_  remember this one forever. Just not in the way they'd like.

Noya had been asleep. He didn't know that his best friend was dead as he slept peacefully. He didn't know until his coach told them all. He didn't know where his body was, and he immediately jumped up and demanded to see it. Demanded to see his friend.

Then he burst into tears, denial flooding his emotions. His friend  _couldn't_  be dead. He just  _couldn't_  be. It was  _impossible_.

And he sat back down silently, covering his face with his hands and unmoving for the rest of the explanation.

Coach Ukai's eyes were empty, his face void of emotion. "I called the ranger station. They said they would come get us as soon as possible." He hesitated. "And...they won't be able to come get us until tomorrow."

The group immediately broke into a chorus of complaints, cries, and angry demands. Many were afraid that they would die next. Many were wondering what kind of monster was up here with them. A few asked if there was a murderer amongst them.

The coach refused to answer anything, too overcome with multiple indescribable emotions to even think clearly. "For obvious safety reasons, everyone is to stay put in their cabins until tomorrow," he ordered firmly, crossing his arms. "You are only permitted to venture outside with an adult chaperone, and  _only_  for emergencies."

The lodge was dead silent; you could hear a pin drop. The awkward tension was so thick; you could slice it with a knife.

" _Do I make myself clear?_ "

"Yes sir!"

 

* * *

 

An hour later, all the coaches were gone, leaving behind no trace, no note, no anything.

It was as if they just vanished from existence.

 

* * *

 

Kageyama felt like he had to say something.

Hinata was just laying in his bed, facing the wall, shaking and mumbling something unintelligble to himself.

The first-years of Karasuno had all been put into a separate cabin, Hinata and Kageyama in one bunk and Tsukishima and Yamaguchi in the other (Yachi, along with Kiyoko, had been put in a cabin with the teachers and coaches, due to the lack of available cabins).

Yamaguchi and Tsukishima sat beside each other on the latter's bed, their thumbs just barely brushing over one another's. Tsukishima had his headphones over his ears, and he looked as stoic as ever, but considering the way Yamaguchi's hand slightly stroked his every once in a while, he was most likely feeling  _some_  kind of emotion inside.

Kageyama almost wanted to comment on how Tsukishima actually had emotions.

But now wasn't the time.

He looked back up at Hinata, cracking his neck to stare at his back. He could feel eyes on the back of his head, and turned around to see Yamaguchi staring at him.  _Say something to him_ , he mouthed, nodding a bit.

Kageyama swallowed, and climbed up the ladder to Hinata's bed. The ginger didn't even move as Kageyama laid down beside him, his hands behind his head as he stretched out his legs.

"...Oi, Hinata."

He didn't respond. Kageyama didn't really expect he would.

Kageyama hesitantly reached out, and gently pat Hinata on the back. He flinched violently in response, and curled in more on himself. Kageyama nearly slapped himself, and sighed as he flopped back down on the bed.

Yamaguchi shifted on the bed across from them. "...Why can't the rangers come get us now?" he mumbled, blowing hair out of his eyes.

Tsukishima clicked his tongue. "Weren't you listening? Coach Ukai said they can't get us until  _tomorrow_ ," he nearly spat, causing Yamaguchi to lean back a little. "They're probably busy with work, or whatever it is rangers do." He frowned, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall.

The freckled boy stared at his friend for a while, until he scooted away from him and sat on the far side of the bed. Kageyama flickered his eyes between them, feeling the tension rise in the room.

Where had everything gone wrong?

Kageyama knew, but he refused to let himself think about it.

He looked at Hinata again, and opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted when the door to their cabin suddenly slammed open. They all flinched, Yamaguchi letting out a small yelp in shock.

Yachi stood there, her face flushed and hair in a mess as she panted heavily.

"The...the coaches," she wheezed out, holding her sore ribs,"...they're gone. A-All of them."

 

* * *

 

Yachi and Kiyoko had been gone preparing food for the others, but when they had returned to the cabin, the coaches and teachers were gone. Vanished, and without a trace left behind.

They immediately searched every cabin and bathroom and building, but there was no sight of any of them anywhere. The girls even forced themselves to check the spare room where Asahi's body laid, but there was nothing in there besides a corpse and an overwhelming smell that prickled their eyes and made their eyes water.

They asked around, desperately questioning the others of the whereabouts of the adults.

But no one knew.

And so, beginning to panic, Yachi ran out into the snow in a flurry and immediately told everyone that they were gone.

"What do we do?" Tanaka asked Suga and Daichi, but for once, neither of them had an answer.

The captains of each team immediately took charge, using their leadership skills to calm everyone down.

"I think we should radio the rangers again," Kuroo suggested, looking over at Daichi. "Let them know that our teachers are gone and remind them of..." His voice trailed off, not wanting to continue the sentence.

Oikawa, Daichi, Bokuto, and Kuroo all stared at each other. None of them wanted to venture out to the radio tower (which, even though there was a somewhat-decent-but-unreliable radio in the main cabin, was the only working method of communication to the world outside the mountain), for it was pretty far from the lodge and surrounding buildings.

Eventually, Oikawa raised his hand with a sigh. "Maaa, do  _I_  really have to do it?" he exclaimed, flipping his hair dramatically. "I guess I'll play the hero this time."

The other captains rolled their eyes at his dramatic display.

Iwaizumi stormed up towards him, yanking at his hair and dragging him back angrily. Oikawa whined in pain and protested, but Iwaizumi's grip was like steel—unbreakable. Eventually, he let him go, throwing him onto the ground in front of him.

"Are you an  _idiot!?_ " Iwaizumi yelled. "You could get hurt out there!"

" _Someone_  has to do it," Oikawa sighed, rubbing at his head with a pout.

Iwaizumi took a deep breath, crossing his arms. He felt the back of his ears burn as he declared a bit too loudly, "I'm going with you!"

"Wha—" Oikawa began, but was promptly cut off when Iwaizumi grabbed him by the collar, yanked him up, and violently pressed their lips together. Oikawa widened his eyes, blinking owlishly. He hesitantly put his hands on Iwaizumi's shoulders, squeezing as Iwaizumi's lips pushed into his more. Feeling his face burn, he squeezed his eyes shut before kissing back.

They were supposed to be just friends with benefits, but the kiss between them was so full of scattered emotions and nervousness that it almost felt like they were something  _more_.

But then Iwaizumi pulled away, and that moment was gone. The feeling remained, residing in their pounding hearts as they stared into each other's eyes, wordlessly passing words as their hot breaths visibly fanned across one another's faces.

"I..." Oikawa couldn't find the right words to say, and he glanced to the side, his hands aimlessly slipping into Iwaizumi's hair.

"I'm going with you," Iwaizumi repeated, his voice breathless.

Oikawa looked at him, and then smiled. "Alright."

"If you two are done being  _incredibly_  gay, we have a  _situation_  on our hands!" Kuroo shouted, using his hands to enunciate the message.

Iwaizumi and Oikawa scowled at him, their combined glares making Kuroo smirk instead of flinching like everyone else did.

"Like  _you're_  one to talk, Kuroo-kun!" Oikawa teased, breaking away from Iwaizumi and sticking his tongue out. As if to make a point, he gestured to Kenma with his eyes. To his satisfaction, Kuroo blushed and clenched his fists.

"AT LEAST  _I'M_  NOT THE ONE MAKING OUT WITH A DUDE IN BROAD DAYLIGHT!"

"...Kuro, it's 2 AM. There is no daylight."

"SHUT UP KENMA I'M TRYING TO MAKE A POINT."

Oikawa snickered, and extended his hand towards Iwaizumi. "Shall we go?" he asked happily, pointing towards the tall radio tower in the distance.

Iwaizumi just rolled his eyes, and flicked Oikawa in the ear. He whined, and Iwaizumi smirked. "Yeah, whatever, Shittykawa."

"So mean, Iwa-chan!"

* * *

 

"I think we should send out search parties for the coaches," Akaashi suggested, walking up towards the remaining captains. He folded his hands behind his back. "Since it's very early in the morning, there's doubt that any rangers will respond, and since they won't even be arriving until tomorrow, that's a long time to wait for help."

Bokuto grinned. "I think that's a great idea!"

"Yeah, but a dangerous one," Daichi said, crossing his arms and putting a hand on his chin. "I remember Takeda-sensei mentioning something about the mountain being slippery and dangerous outside the main lodge area. Plus there's still the animal that—well—anyways, if we  _do_  send out search parties, we need to be careful and precise."

Akaashi nodded once in understanding. Then he frowned slightly. "But, what if the coaches went down to the ranger station themselves?"

Daichi mulled it over for a moment, and then shook his head. "No, I don't think so. They would've left a note, or let Yachi or Kiyoko know that they were leaving..." He coughed into his fist, a tightness suddenly appearing in his chest. "And...I don't think  _all_  of them would leave, either."

Kuroo put his hands on his hips, tossing his head back. "Arghh," he groaned. "What a shitty situation."

"No kidding," Bokuto scoffed. He shivered, folding his arms and pressing them against his chest.

Akaashi turned his head towards his senior. "Are you cold, Bokuto-san?"

"Huh? No, I'm fine."

"If you wish, you may borrow my coat."

"Er—uh, thanks, but, I think your clothes may be a little too small for me." Bokuto laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck. He elbowed Kuroo not-so-subtly when he snickered at him.

Akaashi just nodded.

Kuroo covered his mouth with his hand to stifle another snicker.

"Gaaaaay—"

"BRO I SWEAR TO GOD."

 

* * *

 

"...Noya, c'mon, we're part of the search party to find the adults."

Noya was silent, leaning against the locked grey door where, just beyond the walls, Asahi's body laid in a crumpled mess in a black trash bag. His knees were tucked to his chest, and his head rolled around on his shoulders as his hair tangled with the wood on the door.

Tanaka frowned at his friend, kneeling down in front of him and setting down the flashlight. "Noya, bro, c'mon. You can't stay here forever."

"Yes I can." Noya looked as if he were on the verge of tears. But his eyes were dry, presumably from too much crying.

"Bro..." Tanaka sighed, putting a hand on his forehead and sliding it down his face. "We need to find the coaches."

"They're probably dead."

Tanaka's eyes widened, as if he had just been slapped across the face. He sputtered, "Wh—But—Noya!"

"The monster out there probably got them like it got Asahi." His voice was sullen, his eyes sunken. Noya wrapped his arms around his knees, resting his chin atop them. Then he clenched his teeth, his jaw cracking as his fists shook. "Fuck..." he choked out, covering his face with one hand. He slid down the door further, curling in on himself and trembling.

Tanaka wiped away tears from his eyes, and wrapped an arm around his friend.

"I'm so sorry, Nishinoya."

Noya only gave a broken sob in response.

 

* * *

 

When Suga, Tanaka, Noya, Lev, and Yaku set out to search for the coaches, the remaining three captains discussed further plans.

"We should go through with the coaches' plan," Kuroo said, his eyes narrowed slightly, "no one outside alone."

"Without, like, someone with them," Bokuto continued, stating the obvious.

Daichi nodded. "Mm. Good plan." He pointed at the room behind him with his thumb. "Coach Ukai said something about there being a map of the mountain somewhere in the lodge. We should try to find it."

Bokuto snapped his fingers in realization, and then groaned. "We shoulda given the map to the search party!"

Daichi nearly slapped his forehead. "Argh, you're right." He tapped his fingers against the table. "Maybe we can find it and try to give it to them?"

Kuroo shook his head. "Nah, they'll already be gone by then. I'm sure they'll manage."

But he wasn't too sure.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> u kno comments are nice,,
> 
> writing this fic is gonna HURT why am i doing this to myself


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)

"Quit shaking so much."

"Sorry, Tsukki..."

Yamaguchi fumbled with the sleeves of his shirt, shifting in place as Tsukishima looked positively annoyed beside him. The two were still in the cabin, Kageyama and Hinata being elsewhere—probably with the captains.

Yamaguchi was supposed to be on the search party team, but after a stern look from Tsukishima, he refused and decided to stay alongside his friend. But now, he was regretting it, and scooted farther away from Tsukishima.

Since Asahi was found dead, Tsukishima was quieter than usual. He was keeping Yamaguchi around more, but also seemed more... passive. As if he didn't even care. It bothered Yamaguchi. Sure, Tsukki wasn't the most expressive of people, but someone had  _died_. The coaches and teachers were  _gone_. Couldn't he make...  _some_  kind of reaction!?

Yamaguchi found himself growing irritated.

"Oi, what's got you so upset?"

Tsukki seemed to notice it.

Yama frowned, shifting in place again. "What do you think?" he muttered, gripping the sheets underneath him.

Tsukishima just clicked his tongue.

It was silent between them for a while, until Yamaguchi made a decision and stood, walking towards the door. Tsukishima's head immediately swiveled around to look at him. Yamaguchi's hand wrapped around the handle, and Tsukishima quickly said, "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm going to help," Yama replied without hesitation, and grit his teeth as he felt his hands shake. "I can't... just sit around and  _wait_. I  _need_  to help—I-I..." His voice shook, and he cursed himself internally at how weak he was.

Tsukki almost looked amused. "You? Really."

Yamaguchi's shoulders drooped.

"You'll just get yourself killed out there. Didn't you hear those animal screams last night?" Tsukishima spat. "That  _thing_  out there is going to kill you, just like those idiots in the search party."

Yamaguchi seethed with rage, and whirled around. He slammed his fist against the wall, surprising the other.

"And what the hell are  _you_  doing!?" he screamed, his eyes burning and head pounding. "Nothing! You're just sitting on your ass and doing absolutely nothing to help! Did it ever occur to you that  _maybe_  the others out there need  _help_!? Don't you  _care_!?"

Tsukishima opened his mouth to protest, but Yamaguchi just continued to yell.

"It's always 'Shut up Yamaguchi' or 'Be quiet Yamaguchi'! But no, I'm  _done_! I'm done  _following_  you around like a lost puppy!" Yamaguchi's eyes blazed with an unreadable emotion, and he clenched his jaw. "I'm going out to help! And if  _you_  want to just  _sit here_  and do  _nothing_ , be my guest!" He let out a heavy breath, narrowed his eyes, and yanked the door open.

"Yama—"

"Shut up, Tsukishima."

And he left.

 

* * *

 

Hinata wordlessly drank a bottle of water as the captains, along with Akaashi and Kageyama, observed the map spread across the table.

Akaashi pointed to a marked-out area in the left hand corner. "This place is marked out. Why do you think that is?"

Bokuto blinked down at it, and then looked at the areas around it that were marked "DANGER" in red letters. "Huh," he mumbled. "Maybe... a cliff or something?"

"There are many cliffs on this mountain," Akaashi clarified, "so there must be a reason why this specific one is marked out."

Daichi interrupted by pointing to a mine on the other side of the map. "Maybe it's another mine."

Kuroo uncrossed his arms, and leaned his hip against the table. "Mm. Maybe. But if it was marked out then something must've happened."

"Maybe a mine explosion," Akaashi suggested, looking up.

"Or rocks fell and blocked the exit!" Bokuto continued, his eyes wide as he slammed his palms against the table.

Daichi rapped his fingers against the table thoughtfully. "Both of those are possible, but for the areas around it to be identified as dangerous, there has to be  _something_  else."

"Maybe it's keeping something in."

Everyone in the room froze, and turned to look at Hinata, whose eyes were wide and unblinking as he stared at the group at the table. He tilted his head, his hair falling in his eyes. It was dead silent, and the tension was thick, until Hinata quietly reached for his water bottle and took another sip.

"Yeah... maybe," Kageyama mumbled, breaking his gaze away from the ginger, who had just spoken his first words since finding Asahi.

 

* * *

 

"Maaaa, it's so dark outside!"

"Use your flashlight, idiot."

Oikawa stuck his tongue out at Iwaizumi, who just rolled his eyes. The two trudged along the snow, walking the path that lead to the radio tower. There were tracks in the snow, though from what, neither of them could tell.

The path was littered with rocks and stones, and Oikawa had already tripped twice. He landed on his knee first and then his elbow, and both were sure to form bruises alongside the small cuts. Oikawa had almost gotten Iwaizumi to carry him, but then a shrill shriek coming from far away had both of them flinching and standing close to each other.

Iwaizumi could feel Oikawa's breath on his neck as he held onto his shoulder, using him as leverage to climb over a large rock. He felt his ears heat up, and when Oikawa removed his hand, there was an odd tingle on the place he had touched.

Oikawa noticed his hesitation, and turned around before extending a hand out. "Need some help, Iwa-chan?" he asked teasingly.

"Shut up, Shittykawa," Iwaizumi remarked with a scoff, but took his hand anyways.

Their hands laced together easily, the touch of skin sending sparks up each other's arms. Oikawa felt himself blush as he pulled up Iwaizumi, and the latter stumbled as his feet met ice instead of solid rock. He nearly tripped, almost landing onto Oikawa. He steadied himself, and then blinked as he stared at his friend. The two were awkwardly close, Oikawa's hands on his shoulders and Iwaizumi's on his arms.

"Uh—" Iwaizumi coughed, taking a step back. "Sorry."

"Yeah, fine—I-I mean, it's fine!" Oikawa quickly said, shaking his hands in front of his face and laughing nervously. "It's...fine."

Iwaizumi raised his eyebrows. "Are you okay?"

"Yes!" Oikawa answered way too quickly. "I'm very okay."

"Uh..." Bless Iwa-chan's denseness. "...Alright then. Let's go on."

Oikawa nodded and let Iwaizumi walk ahead of him. Once his back was to him, Oikawa felt his face burn bright red as he covered his eyes with his hands. He groaned softly, tossing his head back.  _Why am I so fucking gay._

 

* * *

 

"Kenma."

The boy in question looked up from his lap to his best friend, and felt his troubled frown ease slightly at the sight of him. "Kuro..." he mumbled softly, wrapping his arms around his stomach and shifting.

Kuroo sat down beside him, their shoulders pressing together. "Are you okay?" he asked, his brows furrowed in concern.

Kenma opened his mouth automatically to reply "I'm fine," but stopped himself. He shifted, his shoulders curling as his body tensed. He absentmindedly leaned towards Kuroo. "...Not really," he confessed, even though he knew Kuroo could read him like a hawk either way.

Kuroo's mouth twitched into a frown, and he put an arm around Kenma's shoulders. "No matter what, I'll always be here for you, okay?" His tone was soft and gentle, a side of him only having ever been shown to Kenma. "I'll never leave you."

"Promise?" Kenma felt himself lean into the embrace. He felt his cheeks warm up.

Kuroo ruffled his hair with a small grin. "Promise."

 

* * *

 

It was dark and bleak—almost to the point of madness. But they advanced forth.

Noya was treading low behind the group, his head hanging down as he stared at his own feet make contact with the snow with each step he took. Tanaka was idly chatting with Lev and Suga, who were discussing plans on what path to take next.

Yaku looked over his shoulder, frowning a bit at Noya's dejected aura. He slowed down his pace, walking side-by-side with the other libero. "Hey, uh, Nishinoya-san," Yaku greeted carefully, trying not to scare the shorter male away. "Are you alright?" Stupid question, he knew, but he couldn't think of anything else to say.

Noya glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, and shrugged after a moment's hesitation.

Yaku nodded understandingly. The two walked alongside one another in silence (and Noya felt almost appreciative of Yaku's attention for his well-being—or, whatever).

Tanaka peered behind him, and then sighed. "Geez, this is a real shitty situation, ah?"

Suga glared at him, as if he were a mother silently telling her children to watch their language. Tanaka just rolled his eyes, and then rubbed the back of his neck. "Are you sure we're going the right way?"

"There's no way we can know if we're going the right way," Lev said suddenly, looking up towards the sky with a slight frown.

Tanaka and Suga stared at him, their expressions deadpanned. Lev turned to them, and blinked rapidly.

"What!"

"You don't have to be so dramatic about it."

"Wh—I wasn't!"

A sinister, high-pitched screech broke through their calm quiet.

They all froze, stopping in place. None of them dared to make a sound, nor even breathe. None dared to move, or even blink. Their hearts stopped in their chests, and their breaths caught in their throat.

The screech came again, followed by two others of a varying octave. There was more than one.

Noya and Yaku looked towards each other with wide eyes. Suga felt his hands shake, and he found himself wishing Daichi were around. Lev never looked more scared in his life.

There was shuffling in the bushes to their left, followed by dull, guttural moans—noises that sounded close. Suga dared to turn his head, looking through the bushes with wide, shaky eyes.

What he saw was three pairs of milky white eyes staring back at him.

"Run," he whispered to the others, his body trembling. He felt as if his knees were about to give out, and he stumbled onto the ground after taking his first step. The others grabbed him by the arm and violently yanked him to his feet before running as fast as they could.

The shuffling became more violent, and the screeches sounded almost angry. Noya's eyes became panicked, and he grabbed Yaku's wrist without a second thought before taking off at a nearly impossible speed.

The owners of the screeches were fast, inhumanly fast, and they could hear them growling and running behind them.

Suga grit his teeth as he slammed face-first into a bushel of leaves, abruptly falling onto his back. He collided with the ground harshly, and felt a spike of pain hit him like a lightning strike. His vision was rimmed with black, and he groaned as he put a hand on his forehead. His legs were burning and his back was in a pain unlike any other (though, he may have been just over-exaggerating). He hardly even felt it when Tanaka pulled him up, and he stumbled into his arms.

"Hey, Suga, are you okay!?" he asked desperately, and Suga could see the muscles jumping nervously in his arms.

Suga opened his mouth to reply, but all that came out was a scream of horror as a large, bony, clawed hand, decorated with taut skin and scattered scars, rapidly came out from the darkness, wrapped around Tanaka's head, and pulled him back with it.

Tanaka screamed, kicking wildly as he was yanked backwards at an incredible speed. The hand around his head tightened and tightened. His breathing became harsh and staggered. His vision went red as his eyes brimmed with tears. All he could think was  _Let go let go let go let go let go of me_.

If his captor could read his thoughts, they ignored them.

Suga's legs trembled as he fell backwards onto the snow, tears streaming down his face as his mind attempted to impossibly decipher what exactly just happened. His brain was pounding, badly-timed adrenaline coursing through his body, and Suga felt the need to just get up and run.

He looked behind him, but there was no one there.

The screeching and terrifying shuffling had ended, and all that was left of the incident were claw marks against the snow and drops of blood, dotting the snow as if it were a crimson canvas.

Suga took a deep breath, and found the urge to vomit. He covered his mouth with two hands, hunching over and leaning all the way down until his forehead stung with the brisk cold of snow.

His tears pattered against the patterns of white, creating small dips in a substance that seemed so pure.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :))))


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everyone is gay. everyone. there are no straights ev eryone is ga y

Noya hadn't been thinking straight when he grabbed Yaku by the wrist and started running. All he knew was that he had to get out of the area—his mind was screaming at him to  _run_  and his muscles jumped with adrenaline—and he grabbed the person closest to him and booked it.

He didn't even realize he had left Suga and Tanaka behind until he was definitely too far away from the camp. He didn't even realize that Yaku was yelling at him to stop, trying to break free from his grip while trying to keep up with his fast pace.

Noya came to a halt, slowly let his grip loosen from Yaku's wrist, and hunched over with his hands on his knees as he attempted to catch his breath. Yaku was in no better state than him, taking deep breaths and almost glaring at the shorter male.

"S...Sorry," Noya mumbled, panting.

Yaku didn't reply. He straightened his back and looked around with a frown. "...Suga has the flashlight."

"Oh,  _shit_!"

At Noya's sudden swear, Yaku flinched and turned to him. Noya stood there, wide-eyed, and gripped at his hair. "We left them behind!" he nearly screamed. "W-With...those  _things_!" He was beginning to hyperventilate, nearly tearing out his hair from how hard he pulled at it.

Yaku grabbed his hands, gently pulling them away from his head, and placed them firmly at his sides. "Calm down," he whispered, low enough for only Noya to hear. "You screaming is only going to make things worse for us."

Noya closed his mouth, and was silent for a while. He stared down at the ground, his hair covering his eyes as he grit his teeth. Once the tension in his shoulders disappeared, Yaku let out a soft sigh and carefully relinquished his grip on the shorter libero's wrists. Noya didn't move, but he clenched his fists as soon as Yaku let go, and he sighed again.

Yaku glanced back over his shoulder and frowned at the darkness that surrounded them. "...We should probably find our way back to camp."

"It's too dark," Noya immediately replied, his voice void of emotion.

"We can follow our footsteps in the snow."

"Those monsters will get us."

Yaku blinked, and his frown deepened. "...No, they won't."

Noya looked up, and his eyes were so remorseless and malignant that it nearly made Yaku jump back from him. "They'll follow us if we go back. They'll kill everyone." His tone was tight, and with the morbid undertone laced through his harsh words, it only made the situation more dire.

Yaku put his hands on his hips, turning around and facing the path that the two had just ran through. "Well, we're going anyways," he finally said, grabbing Noya's wrist and taking a step forward.

Noya didn't protest.

 

* * *

 

"Is that the radio tower?" Oikawa asked, putting a hand over his eyes to squint at the large tower in the distance.

"Yeah," Iwaizumi replied quietly, seemingly lost in thought as he hopped over a fallen tree. The farther and farther they got from the camp, the more dangerous and treacherous the path seemed to be. Oikawa had already scraped his knee, and had wiped away the blood, only for more to return in small beads.

Oikawa grunted as he bounced over the tree, nearly slipping on the snow when he landed. "Ugh, this path sucks," he groaned, rolling his shoulders as he ran ahead a bit to catch up with Iwaizumi.

"It's not the path," Iwaizumi commented, amused. "You're the one that sucks."

Oikawa frowned, but then his eyes twinkled as he skipped in front of Iwaizumi and bent down a little. "You know that fact best of all..." he drawled suggestively, biting on his lip, staring at Iwaizumi with hooded eyes.

To his glee, Iwaizumi suddenly turned bright red, and he shoved Oikawa away—nearly making him fall into the snow into the process. Oikawa just laughed as he caught his balance, oblivious to the eyes peering at him from far away.

 

* * *

 

Kenma practically ran up to Kuroo as he stood next to Daichi, Bokuto, Kageyama, and Hinata. Once Kuroo spotted him, he excused himself from the others and walked up to his friend, putting his hands on his shoulders in concern as he saw the look on Kenma's face.

"What's up?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kenma shifted his weight from side to side. "I... I want to go with you." He felt himself blush in embarrassment at Kuroo's surprised look. "To the mines."

Kuroo opened his mouth, but all that came out was a sigh. "Kenma—"

"You promised to never leave me."

The taller boy blinked in surprise, and then looked down to see that Kenma had linked their pinkies together, something that they had used to do as children. Kenma's face was slightly pink, and he took a deep breath.

"You said you would protect me," he said, glancing up towards Kuroo's face and trying to read his thoughts through his eyes.

"...I  _did_  say that," Kuroo finally said after a moment's hesitation, scratching the back of his head. "But..."

"But?" Kenma pressed.

"...I don't want to  _lose_  you."

Kenma frowned. "What is there to lose me to?"

"Whatever got Asahi," Kuroo found himself saying without realizing, and he quickly clamped his mouth shut and wished he could reach back and grab the escaped words and swallow them down again. But it was too late. He had said it, casually too, and Kenma's eyes widened.

Fear. Kuroo could see it as clear as day. Guilt pricked at his skin, and he flushed.

"Um," he said, trying to fix his mistake. "I-I mean, well, no... uh..." He cursed at himself for just making it worse.

"That's why I need to go with you."

Kuroo looked down, and flinched at Kenma's fierce gaze. His golden eyes pierced into his, and Kuroo held back a shudder.

"You protect me, I protect you," Kenma said slowly, loosening his pinkie from Kuroo's and instead, sliding his hand up into Kuroo's grip. He tightened his hand, and laced their fingers together, squeezing tightly once. "I'm going with you," he repeated profoundly.

Kuroo felt the sudden urge to kiss him. He felt himself twitch forward, but willed down his bubbling feelings and emotions as he took a deep breath. He really, really,  _really_  didn't want Kenma to go. Kenma was too  _precious_  to him. He was too we—

No. Kenma wasn't weak. He was just... so  _protect-able._

He didn't want to see Kenma get hurt. Emotionally, physically, mentally... He wanted Kenma to be happy forever. But he wasn't going to back down. Kenma would find some way to go with him even if he had to sneakily follow them himself.

So he made a decision.

Kuroo grinned down at Kenma, and squeezed his hand back.

"Of course, kitten."

 

* * *

 

"Bokuto-san."

"Huh?" Bokuto whirled around after flinching, and then grinned once he saw Akaashi's face looking at him with the same expression as always. "Akaashi!" he exclaimed happily, spreading his arms out wide as he smiled down at him.

"You're going to the mines."

Bokuto's smile fell a little. He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, and glanced to the side at Kuroo and Kenma holding hands to avoid Akaashi's intense stare. "Well... yeah."

"When were you going to tell me?"

Bokuto's shoulders slumped. "...I didn't wanna tell you."

"Why not?"

Akaashi's interrogation made him shift uncomfortably. "I... dunno."

The dark-haired setter frowned, obviously displeased with Bokuto's vague answer. He crossed his arms over his chest, standing his ground, and nearly glared up at the other. "Bokuto-san," he said sharply, "you know well that I'm not a weak person. I can handle myself."

"Yeah, I know..."

"If you're trying to  _protect_  me from whatever is out there, don't bother." Akaashi looked beyond irritated. "I'll decide for  _myself_  whether or not I'm going."

Bokuto nodded sheepishly, staring at his feet and idly kicking a patch of snow off his boots. Akaashi frowned, narrowing his eyes at Bokuto, and turned on his heel before stomping away.

"Bokutooo," Kuroo sang from behind him. "What'd you do this time?"

Bokuto whirled around, his eyes filled with tears as he dramatically threw himself onto Kuroo. "Broooo, I just messed up so baaaad!"

"Just another daily occurrence in the life of Bokuto Koutarou."

Bokuto hit him.

 

* * *

 

> _"Um, Akaashi..."_
> 
> _"Yes, Bokuto-san?"_
> 
> _"...Uh, um... well..."_
> 
> _"...Are you alright, Bokuto-san?"_
> 
> _"Y-Yeah! I'm fine. I just... need to tell you something."_
> 
> _"Oh. Alright. What is it?"_
> 
> _"I like you."_
> 
> _"..."_
> 
> _"Like, a lot. And I mean really like. You know?"_
> 
> _"Oh, uh..."_
> 
> _"Oh, you don't have to give me your answer right now. I just wanted to tell you, really. With everything that's happened... I don't want anything else to happen without me saying anything at all."_
> 
> _"...Alright."_

Akaashi flushed as memories of their conversation just after finding Azumane Asahi's corpse in the old bathroom building earlier that night. Bokuto had confessed that he liked Akaashi, and while Akaashi was too confused and shocked from the gruesome events and the sudden confession to reply, Bokuto gave him the chance to think it over.

As Akaashi stomped away from Bokuto, he halted in his footing slightly. He felt a strange emotion, guilt, and wondered if he had been too hard on his white-haired friend. Sure, he was annoyed that Bokuto had tried to pull the cliche shoujo move where the boy goes ahead and leaves the girl behind to protect her. But Akaashi wasn't a girl trapped in a tragic, horribly-written love story. He was strong, and could definitely handle himself.

But... still. The fact that Bokuto had tried to protect him like that made his heart pound, and he cursed himself inwardly for being so susceptible to cheesy romantic moves.

Damn him.

Akaashi huffed, walking into his cabin that he shared with the other second-years, and slammed the door shut.

 

* * *

 

"I'm not going."

Kageyama sighed, slapping his palms against his thighs as he broke his gaze away from the sullen-looking Hinata. "Fine," he spat, turning away angrily and resisting the urge to hit him. But deep down he understood why Hinata refused to go with them to the mines. He felt bad for even asking him, but Daichi had said that the more people they got the better.

Kageyama walked out of the building, unsure of where he was walking as he stomped through the snow. He saw Akaashi angrily slam the door shut to the Fukurodani cabin, and idly wondered what pissed him off when something suddenly collided into him.

He fell back into the snow, grunting as his back hit the frozen ground. The other person groaned, and then gasped suddenly.

"A-Ah!" Yamaguchi's voice broke through the wind, and the freckled boy hastily jumped up. "I-I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, hesitantly reaching out to aid Kageyama.

Kageyama stared at his hand for a moment before taking it (although his efforts in getting to his feet were mostly made by him). He wiped himself off, brushing the snow off his back and looking at Yamaguchi. He assumed his expression must have been dark, because Yamaguchi immediately jumped back with a squeak.

He blinked, staring at the freckled boy for a few moments.

"Uh... please don't be angry with me," Yamaguchi mumbled softly, and Kageyama saw the faintest hint of tears at the corners of his eyes—but these ones weren't fresh.

"Where's Tsukishima?" Kageyama almost spat out his name, but it was odd that Yamaguchi wasn't with him since the two were practically joined at the hip.

Yamaguchi stiffened visibly, and then scratched at his arms nervously. "Um... he's... not here. Right now."

Kageyama narrowed his eyes, but decided to drop the subject and get straight to the point. "Daichi said that some of us are going to go to the mines to check it out."

"Huh?" Yamaguchi's attention was immediately caught. "Why?"

"It's marked as dangerous on the map."

Yamaguchi blinked slowly, his face riddled with confusion. "...Then why would you go to it?"

"Daichi said it might give us a clue to what we're dealing with."

The wind howled around them as if in warning, and Yamaguchi laughed breathlessly. "That makes no sense," he muttered, brushing his hair back from his forehead, and then peered up at Kageyama. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want you to go with us."

"Huh!?"

Kageyama raised his chin, furrowing his eyebrows. "The more the better."

Yamaguchi opened his mouth, and it seemed like he wanted to say something, but decided against it and closed his mouth. He shifted back and forth, his hands clenching lightly. Kageyama could see a million thoughts dancing behind his eyes, weaved with emotions such as confusion and hesitation and anxiety that appeared as quickly as fireworks.

"So?" Kageyama pressed, becoming impatient.

Yamaguchi's eyes suddenly went blank, and he looked up with an oddly serene smile.

"Yes. I'll go."

 

* * *

 

 

"So," Daichi began, pointing at everyone surrounding him with the back of his flashlight, "we've got Kageyama, Yamaguchi, Bokuto, Kuroo, Kenma, and I all on this team?"

"And me."

The others turned around to see Akaashi, his arms crossed as he stared firmly at the captain of Karasuno. The two locked gazes, reading each other through one another's eyes for a moment, until Daichi just nodded once.

Bokuto beamed, and when Akaashi walked over to stand beside him, he quickly wrapped an arm around his shoulders and hugged him tightly. Akaashi stumbled, unintentionally leaning further into the embrace in the process. His cheeks felt warm, and when Bokuto whispered  _I'm glad you're here_  in his ear, he felt his entire face get hot, contrasting greatly with his rather pale skin.

Kuroo snickered at him, and Kenma watched with an amused look.

Daichi smirked. "Well, I suppose we should get going now."

They all nodded, and followed Daichi as he placed the rolled-up map into his coat pocket and shined the flashlight on the path ahead of them. Yamaguchi gulped, and wrapped his arms around himself as he hesitantly matched the others' pace.

He glanced back over his shoulder to the cabin where he had just left Tsukishima, and felt an incredible weight of guilt fall over him. But something in the back of his mind told him he had to do this, had to do something without blindly following Tsukki around all the time.

He felt a little better about going to the mines, and he smiled.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was listening to the song "i'm so sorry" by imagine dragons while posting this and i think it fits


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER KEEPS GETTING DELETED IM CRYIN

Yachi let out a tiny squeak as she pressed her back against the metal of the stall. She tucked her feet in, trying to make herself as small as possible.

She glanced to her left. Kiyoko sat there, panting heavily as sweat dripped down her forehead. She peaked behind her, and there was another shrill shriek that echoed through the dark bathroom.

The two were on opposite sides of each other, a large aisle between them. Inside the aisle was one of the monsters—the hideous creatures that had appeared when Yachi and Kiyoko came to investigate further on Asahi's death.

They had found bite marks all across his body, just barely noticeable above all the blood and other gashes throughout. Kiyoko had suggested that they go back to see and try to find more clues, so if there really was some kind of dangerous animal, they would be able to warn the others.

But... neither of them expected anything like  _this_.

Terrifying beasts with odd spinal disfiguration, long limbs, with deathly pale skin that was taut against their bodies. Adorned with sharp teeth (some even coated with blood) and a thirst for human flesh.

One of them had almost ripped Kiyoko's arm off.

When the monsters ambushed the girls, they were quick to hide. After dodging and trying to find means of escape, the two learned that these creatures could only see movement.

So there they sat, Kiyoko against the sinks and Yachi inside one of the stalls, keeping as still as possible as the monsters shuffled around outside and inside. Kiyoko was the most vulnerable, being out in the open as one monster leaped from wall to wall, but she didn't dare move. She was holding onto her injured arm, her grip tightening as the monster drew closer.

Yachi's hands were covering her mouth, stifling any potential sobbing or squeaking as her entire body trembled with fear and apprehension. The detrimental tension in the air was thick, and Yachi could hardly breathe. She felt like she was drowning, falling, dying—every single thing at once.

There was a small wind from outside, and it made the stall door creak as it opened slightly. Yachi's eyes widened, and it took all of her willpower for her legs not to spasm outwards.

She didn't look anywhere but the other side of the stall, her hands tightening. She felt tears brim at her eyes, and heard a sudden slam as a white claw found itself digging into the stall door.

Misshapen feet scraped against the broken tile. A muffled whimper made its way through Yachi's shaking, sweaty hands. Scattered pieces of glass slid across the floor as the monster's feet brushed against them. Yachi's eyes followed one, her vision shaky and blurry. She repeated a mantra of  _Please don't find me please don't kill me please please please_ —

Then she stopped herself, feeling she was being selfish, and changed her thoughts to  _Please let Kiyoko live please let her be safe please God please I'll do anything just let her be okay_.

When she found herself being dragged back into reality, the air was dead silent.

Yachi didn't dare even  _breathe_.

She stilled, her grip loosening on her mouth slightly as she tried to listen in on any kind of sound. There was nothing except the soft howling of the wind outside, trickling in through the broken windows and holes in the walls and raising hairs on Yachi's arms.

A clawed hand gripped onto her arm.

Yachi screamed, her voice echoing throughout the bathroom. The monster yanked on her arm with a painful tug, nearly popping her arm out of her socket. Yachi struggled, kicking her feet and scraping her nails against the monster's arm. She battered her fist against its grip, and when it tried to pull her through the door, Yachi lapsed to the ground, her legs skidding against the tile and the broken pieces digging into her arms, drawing blood.

The monster's grip released itself, and Yachi hurriedly hurled herself underneath the stall wall, immediately regretting it when she saw two monsters staring directly at her.

She stood as still as a rock, even though she was sure they knew she was there. Yachi trembled, clenching her hands as her knees buckled—and it took all of her willpower not to shake and fall into a crumple onto the ground. She stared at the monsters, her face pale and eyes wide, but she forced herself to be brave; or, at least, feign bravery in order to convince herself that she  _wasn't_  terrified and about to pass out.

The monsters gazed at her as if she were an enticing main dish, although that may have just been the anticipation building up, since Yachi assumed they couldn't see her.

One of them took a step closer, and Yachi's legs nearly gave out. It leaned in close, its sharp teeth baring themselves in front of Yachi's face. She squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip to keep from crying out. She felt the monster's ugly breath on her face, and she scrunched up her nose despite herself.

The other monster let out a shriek, and Yachi immediately regretted flinching. She inhaled sharply, her body suddenly going cold as the monster took a step closer, nearly brushing her shoulder.

The monster beside her shrieked into her ear, and she flinched violently, stumbling to the side. The monsters whipped their heads around to face her, and Yachi's eyes widened as one of their sharp claws impaled her right shoulder, creating a disgusting squelching sound that echoed through the battered bathroom.

" _HITOKA!_ "

Yachi's breath caught in her throat, and her eyes went so wide they could've popped out of her head. The monster removed its claw with lightning speed, causing Yachi to fall forward from the force. She toppled to the ground, blood pooling around her as she shook on the ground.

Kiyoko was breathless as she stared with fear down at Yachi, her chest heaving as her legs itched to run over to her. The monsters were looking around, searching for anyone else. Kiyoko lost track of time as she watched them, and after what seemed like hours, they finally left, darting out the door and screeching in the distance.

Once she was sure they were gone, Kiyoko scrambled towards Yachi, nearly tripping and ignoring the pain in her arm. She sobbed brokenly, her trembling hands hesitantly brushing Yachi's left arm. The blonde girl was lying on her side, her hair sticking to her sweaty face and stained with the blood surrounding her. Kiyoko scooted closer, not even caring about the blood soaking through her pants, and gently rolled Yachi to lay on her back.

She hissed, and Kiyoko felt a surge of immense relief wash over her. "Hitoka..." she whispered, cradling the back of Yachi's head in one trembling hand. They needed to get out of here. Those things could come back, and...

Kiyoko glanced down at Yachi.

She narrowed her eyes, scooped her arms underneath the blonde's knees and back, and carefully picked her up. Yachi groaned, shifting in Kiyoko's arms, and the older girl nearly dropped her, but she kept her grip tight and secure. Kiyoko heaved, puffing and slowly walking out of the bathroom and into the cold. She wasn't the strongest of people, but she wasn't weak either. Yachi wasn't all that heavy, but Kiyoko knew she couldn't carry her forever.

She just had to get to the camp. Once she got there, everything would be fine.

More blood squelched between Kiyoko's fingers, and she sniffled, tears threatening her eyes.

 _Everything will be fine_ , she told herself.

Doubt crept up her spine.

 

* * *

 

Lev woke up in his bed at the cabin he shared with the other Nekoma first years.

He rubbed at the back of his head in confusion, and winced at the sharp pain that shot through his forehead. He could feel a light bump underneath his hair, and rubbed at it a bit as he frowned.

He couldn't remember anything. His last memory was leaving the camp to be part of the search party to find the adults.

Lev blinked. What had happened? Why was he back here?

"Yaku-san?" he called out curiously. "Kuroo-san? Kenma-san?"

There was no reply.

Lev got up from the bed (accidentally hitting his head on the higher bunk in the process), and looked down at himself to realize that he was still in his snowy, slightly damp clothes from before. He took off his shirt to put on a new one, donned his coat and shoes, and stepped outside with a confused expression.

He called out again, but there was no response.

Lev blinked, his green eyes widening a bit. Was everyone gone? Had the rangers come and taken everyone?

...Or was this just another cruel prank by Kuroo?

As Lev mulled over the options, he stumbled over a log hidden in the snow and nearly tripped, but a pair of hands just barely caught him before he fell. Lev glanced up in surprise, and smiled as Sugawara from Karasuno stared down at him. His smile twitched downwards slightly as he saw the look on Suga's face—disconsolate and melancholic, and the depressing aura that seemed to radiate off him made Lev slightly upset. Suga's eyes were glossy and rimmed with red, as if he had been crying just moments ago.

"Are you okay?" Even his voice was sad.

"...Yeah!" Lev replied, jumping up quickly and observing Suga's face closer. "What happened? Did we come back from the search?" he asked curiously, tilting his head.

Suga stiffened visibly, and he stared with wide eyes at Lev's face for what seemed like forever, as if gears were slowly turning in his head. After a while, his shoulders drooped considerably, and he mumbled, "...You don't remember." He said something else after that, but Lev didn't quite catch it. It seemed to be something along the lines of, "You lucky idiot."

"Is there something I'm supposed to remember?" Lev questioned, confused.

Suga stood there, clenching his fists and tightening them at his sides. He shifted a bit, wondering if he should tell Lev the truth or let him stay in the dark. He began to relay the options in his head—if he told him, there's no telling how Lev could react. He was such a nice and, dare he say,  _innocent_  person that letting him know about everything that happened could just...  _destroy_  him.

But, on the other hand, if he  _didn't_  tell him, and something like  _that_  happened again, Lev would have no prior knowledge of how to handle it.

Suga hated how pessimistic he was becoming. He needed  _Daichi_. Daichi always got him out of the darkness.

But Daichi wasn't around right now, and he could feel himself slipping into a deeper pit of despair and gloom.

Suga looked up at Lev, who was still expecting an answer. He made a decision, and sighed.

"Well, Lev..."

 

* * *

 

Hinata wasn't sure if he was regretting not going to the mines, or if he was glad he didn't.

Sure, going to the mines seemed like a stupid idea when you thought about it enough. There didn't seem to be any benefit to it, unless there was something Daichi hadn't been telling them—but he wouldn't lie or keep something from them, especially in  _this_  kind of situation, right? Besides, there were still the monsters that killed Asahi out there.

Hinata shivered.

He was feeling so many emotions at once that he had no idea how to pin them down or identify them. There was definitely sadness, anger, fear... but everything else was so jumbled up he had no  _idea_  how he was feeling.

Most of the time he was unsure of his emotions, he was super excited about getting a good spike in, or when he was alone with Kageyama. Both of them being—somewhat—good experiences. Hinata felt himself calm down a little as he thought about them.

But then he shifted back into reality as if someone had pulled him in, and his fingers shook around his water bottle. Now, he was just... confused. Everything had happened so fast, so sudden.

One minute they were happily playing volleyball, the next Asahi was dead and dismembered and disjointed and blood was  _everywhere_ —

Hinata felt like crying, but he had already cried so much in the span of just a few hours that his eyes were dry, and refused to produce any more tears. He wiped at his eyes furiously, grimacing as his body began to tremble.

 _Why_ , he thought grimly, and grit his teeth. Why  _them_!? First Asahi, and then Suga comes running and crying back with Lev stumbling behind, barely conscious, yelling and sobbing about Tanaka. Was this a  _punishment_  of some kind!? What had they  _done!?_

And... and he had just let the others go. He had let them go to the mines without a second thought. He had basically sent them to die.

"Kageyama," he breathed quietly. What if he  _died_  out there? Would he  _never_  see him, or any of them again?

The thought of being alone terrified Hinata to no end.

He stood up suddenly, not knowing why he was getting up, and was about to sit back down when he heard a high-pitched yell come out from just outside the camp.

" _SOMEBODY_ , HELP!  _PLEASE!_  HITOKA, SHE'S—SHE'S—"

Kiyoko.

 

* * *

 

Everyone who had been left behind at the camp were standing around Yachi in concern as Suga and Kiyoko worked on her the best they could. With what little supplies they had, Suga could only disinfect the wound and help Kiyoko with stitching it up to the best of their ability. After, they wrapped her shoulder up with a bandage, and the rest of them left as Kiyoko sat beside Yachi, holding her hand tightly with her forehead pressed against her thigh.

Mastukawa glanced back at the door that the two girls sat in with a sad frown. "...I wonder what happened."

"Must've been pretty bad," Hanamaki mumbled. "Not sure I wanna think about it."

Mastukawa just nodded in agreement.

 

* * *

 

"...So Tanaka-san is dead."

"I—well... I don't know. Maybe." Suga stumbled over his words after explaining everything to Lev. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing his bangs away from his forehead. Recalling the event just to describe it to Lev had been more difficult than he thought, and it took all of his willpower not to burst into tears once he began describing the attack.

Lev's expression was unreadable. His eyes were downcast, and Suga immediately regretted telling him. Of course Lev couldn't handle something like this. He was just a first-year, completely unable to understand—

"I see."

Suga blinked at his words, his tone void of emotion.

Lev looked down at Suga. "Thank you for telling me."

He left.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is 4k words jesus rip me

Akaashi often wondered how he became friends with Bokuto.

They kind of just... came together naturally. It all started with Akaashi signing up for volleyball during his first year, and they just instantly clicked. Akaashi was the force that could calm down Bokuto, and Bokuto made Akaashi feel... alright.

Akaashi had never liked himself very much. His parents were rather supportive, but after facing immense ridicule and bullying from his peers, he began to sink into a mindset that he was not normal and weird. Then the school had tried to put Akaashi into the girls' volleyball team, and everything began to fall apart.

But Bokuto had been there to put it back together again.

He argued with the head of the school, and every single staff member there was. He argued that since Akaashi was a  _boy_ , he had to be on the boys' volleyball team no matter  _what_  he had been born with. Eventually, the girls' team rejected Akaashi since he wasn't a girl and therefore couldn't be on the team, and the school finally left the subject alone.

Akaashi had been grateful to Bokuto ever since then. He had always been there for him.

So... why didn't he tell him when he was leaving? To protect him? That sounded dumb.

Nevertheless, Akaashi hung close to Bokuto as the group walked to the mines. Daichi hadn't yet revealed the true reason they had been going there, but he said that it was for a good reason, and the others trusted him.

Yamaguchi wavered behind them slightly, seemingly deep in his own thoughts with his eyebrows furrowed and eyes glassy. Something must've happened between him and Tsukishima—the two were  _always_  together. Or he could've just been thinking about everything that's been going on. It all happened in such a short span of time too.

Asahi was found at 11:30 PM, freshly dead, and everyone had been woken up to be delivered the news somewhere around 1 AM. The coaches disappeared about an hour later, and who knows how much time had passed since groups began leaving to search for help. Akaashi assumed it was sometime around late 3 AM.

And the rangers weren't coming for nearly  _12 hours_  from now. No wonder everyone was losing hope.

But it didn't make sense. Why couldn't they come  _now_ , or when the sun began to rise? Why wait an  _entire day_ , when the coaches had already reported Asahi's death? Were they doing this on purpose? Were they all doomed to be  _stuck_  on this mountain, waiting to be  _killed_  by whatever  _animal_  had literally  _torn apart_  Asahi—

"Akaashi," Bokuto's voice suddenly whispered softly into his ear, "you're shaking."

He blinked, jerking away from Bokuto automatically as he felt his face heat up. "O-Oh," he said, grimacing at his stutter. "Sorry."

"Are you alright?" Bokuto asked, and before Akaashi even had the chance to answer, broke into a rant. "Ugh, I knew I shouldn't have let you come! What if you get  _hurt_ , or—or  _killed!?_  What if—"

"Bokuto-san, please calm down." Akaashi put his hand on Bokuto's broad shoulder with a deadpanned expression, slightly annoyed. "I'm not weak."

"Oh, no, I wasn't calling you weak!" Bokuto exclaimed quickly, his eyes going wide. "I just worry about you a lot! Because I care about you!"

Akaashi huffed, his ears going pink. "Well, thank you, I suppose. I worry about you too."  _Oh my God._  Akaashi felt himself turning red. Why did he say that?

Bokuto just beamed, throwing his arms around Akaashi's shoulders and pulling him in for a tight hug that nearly lifted Akaashi's feet from the ground. He didn't say anything, but it looked like he wanted to, but was holding himself back. He just continued to smile, pressing his cheek against Akaashi's soft hair.

"Alright, lovebirds, calm down," Kuroo snorted in amusement, his hands on his hips as he watched them with knowing eyes. Kenma raised his eyebrows at Akaashi, seemingly trying to keep himself from laughing.

Akaashi ducked out of Bokuto's hold, making a show of brushing himself off. Bokuto pouted, but Akaashi just gave him a mild smirk, and the white-haired boy seemed to pick himself up automatically.

 _Strange_ , he thought. Bokuto was strange.

But, maybe, he was even stranger.

 

* * *

 

Tsukishima was pissed.

No, scratch that, he was  _livid_. Beyond angry. And he must've been showing it on his face because everyone was staying at least ten feet away from him.

How dare Yamaguchi just  _yell_  at him like that!? It wouldn't be the first time he had, but this time his anger was directed at something else entirely, and he even had the  _audacity_  to tell him to  _shut up_  afterwards!? And he just  _left_?  _Without him?_

Tsukishima seethed. He was angry at how  _dependent_  he was on Yamaguchi. He just hadn't realized it—he believed Yamaguchi was dependent on  _him_ , instead of the other way around. But now that Yamaguchi was  _gone_ , and could possibly  _die_ , the thought of losing him crushed him. He and Yamaguchi had been together since  _childhood_ , had  _always_  been in each other's company—and if that routine was suddenly  _destroyed_ , Tsukishima didn't know what he would do.

He was afraid.

He almost laughed at himself. His fear and anxiety masked by pure, unadulterated rage. It was stupid.  _Yamaguchi_  was the one who got scared, not  _him_.

But it seemed like Yamaguchi was braver and cooler than Tsukishima ever was. He left Tsukishima behind to  _help_ , breaking away of the routine they had set into since they were kids.

What a fucked up situation to be in. Tsukishima hated himself for it. He hated the world for it.

Everything had been  _normal_ , and now everything he once knew was suddenly stripped from him—and people were  _dying_. People were being  _killed_. Asahi, Tanaka, and now Yachi was just  _barely_  surviving, hovering on the brink of death.

It terrified Tsukishima to think that Yamaguchi could be that way any time soon.

He wondered if he should go after him, blindly rushing into the woods to find his closest friend. But no, that was a stupid idea, but this night so far had been filled with stupid ideas. What could another one hurt?

Then Kiyoko came back with Yachi, and Tsukishima was told to hang around in case they needed help. No one was allowed to leave the camp, as if Suga had suddenly been put in charge, simply because he had  _experienced_  the horrors and monsters that they were up against. He was superior to them because he  _knew_.

Tsukishima knew he didn't know anything. Suga was just as scared as all of them.

He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what he should do.

Yamaguchi knew, though, and he took his chance while Tsukishima hid himself away, refusing to come to terms with the situation. Tsukishima wished he jumped up while he had the chance.

Now he was stuck here, with a group of crying, terrified brats who couldn't last a day without someone telling them what to do.

Tsukishima sighed.

Maybe he was just like them.

 

* * *

 

_Run._

_That was the only command that raced in her mind. The only thought she could process._

_Her legs burned with overexertion, her blood pulsed with adrenaline, her heart raced with fear. Millions of emotions sparked her nerves. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't do anything except run._

_What was she running from? What was she doing before? Why was she running?_

_She didn't have the time to think. She just had to run, run, run, run run_ _—_

_There was something behind her. It was big, long, scary, loud. It growled at her. It shrieked at her. It was trying to kill her._

_That's what she was running from. She couldn't let it catch her. She had to run._

_Then there was someone beside her, trying to keep up with her quick pace. She looked to her side. Kiyoko stared at her with a desperate and terrified expression, tears falling from her eyes in thick clumps and her hair matted together with blood._

_Kiyoko yelled at her to keep going and leave her behind._

_She refused._

_She stopped, letting Kiyoko dart in front of her. Her legs trembled, and she fell back against the effort to keep herself standing. Kiyoko turned around, wide-eyed, and was about to scream, but she put a hand up, and yelled at her to run, to keep going._

_The thing behind her drew closer, and she could feel its heavy, ragged breath on the back of her neck._

_She just barely got a sobbed version of Kiyoko's name out before the monster's claws dug into her jaw and tore it off her skull._

Yachi awoke with a jolt, sweat dripping down her face and her mind racing with memories of her nightmare. Her hand instantly flew to her jaw, rubbing against the side and gulping at the tingling sensation that remained there.

She tried to move, and immediately regretted it. Her right shoulder seared with pain, and she groaned, twitching and laying back down on the uncomfortable table. Her shoulder was bandaged with cloth that was already an ugly red-black color, and there was a wet towel on her forehead.

Yachi felt a presence beside her, nearly screamed out of panic, and relaxed once she realized it was an asleep Kiyoko. Kiyoko's hand was gripping her leg tightly, her cheek pressed against her knee as she held onto her tightly. Yachi blushed, despite herself, and felt herself smile. Kiyoko had saved her.

Yachi felt weak. Her vision was blurry and her head pounded, and her back was in pain from the table surface. Her body was raging with a million different sensations at once, and Yachi found herself wondering if she would survive. The wound had been considerably deep, and assuming from the bandages and blood that stained her hands and the table, she had lost a lot of it. How much blood loss did it take to kill someone? What did it take to kill a human?

Yachi found it odd how she hadn't been as afraid of death in the bathroom as she should've been. The thing she was most afraid of was...

...if  _Kiyoko_  was going to survive.

Ugh, she had it  _bad_.

Yachi found herself thinking about death. She found herself thinking about how much dying hurt. Would it be quick and painless? Would it be eternal darkness? Was there really life after death?

If there was, was she even  _worthy_  to go to Heaven after everything?

All these thoughts were making her head spin.

Yachi grimaced, holding onto her shoulder and wincing. Her chest was burning, and she felt her throat tightening. Dots danced across her vision, and she shifted in place.

"Ugh," she groaned aloud, her legs twitching as her skin broke out into goosebumps.

Kiyoko stirred, and Yachi froze in place, not wanting to wake her up from her peaceful sleep and pull her back into the dark reality they were stuck in. Kiyoko murmured something soft, nuzzled deeper into Yachi's leg, and exhaled slowly.

Yachi gulped. She looked as beautiful as ever, even when asleep.

She found herself promising to protect her no matter what, even if she wasn't as strong as she believed she was.

 

* * *

 

"Ugh, it's so  _tall_."

"That's because it's a radio tower, idiot."

Oikawa stuck his tongue out at Iwaizumi childishly, and the latter rolled his eyes as Oikawa walked up towards the first ladder. He looked up towards the top, putting a hand over his eyes and squinting to see better.

"How many ladders do you think there are?" he asked curiously, obviously procrastinating.

Iwaizumi scoffed and pushed him aside lightly as he stepped ahead of him, putting his foot on the first step and looking back towards Oikawa. "C'mon, Shittykawa, we need to radio the rangers."

"Pfft. I know that," Oikawa mumbled quietly, following Iwaizumi up the ladder. He glanced behind him, suddenly feeling an odd prickling sense of someone watching him. His skin danced with goosebumps, and he hesitantly broke his gaze away from the dark space behind him, instead focusing his gaze above him.

He grinned cheekily.

"Iwa-chan, your ass looks incredible from this angle!"

"I will kick you off this ladder right now, I swear to God."

Oikawa snickered, taking note of Iwaizumi's small blush, even in the darkness. He put the flashlight into his coat pocket and followed Iwaizumi all the way to the top. It took a while, and Oikawa had nearly fallen off one of the ladders, but they finally made it and stepped inside the small building.

There was a radio on a nearby desk, next to a first aid kit on the wall. Oikawa idly checked inside the kit while Iwaizumi pressed the buttons on the radio.

"It's off. There's no power," he mumbled aloud, scratching the side of his head and frowning.

"I think there's a power switch outside," Oikawa said, almost skipping outside the building and to the other side. He opened the power box, using the flashlight to shine the light on the switches.

Iwaizumi walked behind him, and pointed to a red switch. "I think it's that one."

"Mm," Oikawa acknowledged, and reached out for it. Just as his fingers brushed the switch, a sudden surge of sparks hit his skin, and he jumped back in surprise with a yelp. Iwaizumi's eyes widened and he quickly caught him before he fell to the ground.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked quickly, helping Oikawa steady himself.

Oikawa pouted and shook his hand, pulling back to look at his fingers. "Ow," he muttered with a frown and then flipped the red switch with a glower. "I'm fine," he said to Iwaizumi once the power began to slowly come back on.

The pair walked back to the radio, and Oikawa looked up as the red light at the top began to pulse on and off. Iwaizumi took the speaker into his hands and turned on the radio. There was just static as he switched between channels, frowning as nothing came in.

"Hello?" he said into the speaker. "Is anyone there?"

As Iwaizumi continued to search for the ranger channel, Oikawa walked to the other side of the small building and stared outside, gazing down at the ground that looked so far down. He blinked, astonished by the difference of height, somewhat anxious. What if they fell? Millions of worst-case scenarios repeated in his head, and his grip tightened on the window. His throat tightened and his hands began to get clammy. It wasn't like he had a fear of heights or anything, but staring down at the ground and imagining what it would be like if they fell would scare anyone, really.

A bright light suddenly appeared, illuminating the snow, and Oikawa just barely caught a glimpse of a shadowed animal-figure dart into the bushes. He blinked, leaning in and raising his eyebrows.

"What's the bright light?" he asked, turning back.

Iwaizumi turned away from the radio for a second, lifted his head to look out the window, and then returned his attention to finding the rangers. "It's the motion-sensor light, probably," he replied absentmindedly. "Probably detected an animal or something."

"...Animal, huh..." Oikawa murmured, pressing his forehead against the cold glass and exhaling, creating fog onto the window. He pouted, lifting his finger and writing something onto the glass.

It wasn't until a few moments later that he realized he had written Iwaizumi's name.

The back of Oikawa's neck heated up, and he hastily wiped it off with his sleeve, peering back behind him to make sure Iwaizumi hadn't seen. Once he confirmed that he was too busy with the radio to notice anything, he exhaled slowly and pressed his red cheeks against the glass.

He and Iwaizumi were only friends with benefits, having created the deal when they both realized that girls couldn't satisfy their needs and deciding to give the other what they needed. And,  _God_ , Iwaizumi was  _good_. Oikawa got shivers just  _thinking_  of it.

But, somewhere down the line, Oikawa had broken the untold rule and developed  _feelings_. He wasn't sure if he was  _in love_  with Iwaizumi, but there was definitely a big crush there. And if he thought about it, he had always somewhat  _liked_  Iwaizumi.

He  _definitely_  couldn't tell Iwaizumi. He was sure he didn't feel the same way. After all, Oikawa was the one who set everything up and had made the rules. If Iwaizumi knew that he had broken one... Oikawa was sure he would hate him, or not hang around him anymore. And everyone knew that Oikawa couldn't function without Iwaizumi putting him in line.

Oikawa huffed, puffing out his cheeks. Why did everything have to be so difficult?

"Hello, yes! Finally,  _Jesus_ —" Oikawa heard Iwaizumi say excitedly, and rushed over to his side, asking him if he had done it with his eyes. Iwaizumi just nodded at him. "Um, my name is Iwaizumi Hajime. Our coach radioed the rangers earlier about... the death of one of our friends. Killed by an animal? But, um, the rangers said they couldn't come until the next day, and now our adults have gone missing—"

Iwaizumi continued to explain the situation, and Oikawa felt himself begin to calm down.

" _We'll try to get a team to you as soon as possible, but many of our rangers are on leave,_ " the person over the radio said, their voice almost covered in static and hardly intelligible. " _We might not be able to... get a team... until dawn..._ " The crackle of static began to drown out their voice, sound coming in and out spontaneously. " _Try to... stay together... fire..._ "

The radio went silent.

Iwaizumi blinked, slowly setting down the speaker. "Well, at least we got—" He was cut off by the sudden pounding against the hatch door, and Oikawa stumbled into him. Iwaizumi grabbed onto the desk, catching Oikawa and wrapping an arm around his torso.

The two froze completely, Oikawa biting his lip with his eyes wide as he leaned into Iwaizumi, his breath catching in his throat as the angry, barbarous pounding and breaking continued. There was a scramble, and then what sounded like something scratching desperately against metal. Whatever was trying to get in fumbled with the metal that locked it out, and then the sound was gone.

Oikawa exhaled slowly, trembling as he just barely managed to keep himself upright against Iwaizumi. The latter was in no better shape, his knuckles turning white as he gripped onto the desk harder.

"W-What... was that—"

The tower creaked threateningly, shaking softly, as it began to tremble. There was a distant snapping sound, and Oikawa's muscles pulsed with fear as he nearly sent both him and Iwaizumi crashing to the ground. Oikawa gasped sharply as the tower started to tip over, sending objects flying towards them. He grabbed Iwaizumi's hand, digging his nails into his palm in panic.

The wires that connected the tower to the ground and kept it steady had been cut, and the tower creaked loudly as it began to topple over.

Oikawa felt like crying.

The desk fell over, knocking into Iwaizumi and startling him. He accidentally let his grip on Oikawa loose, and the duo stumbled with the effort of keeping upright. The tower was moving too fast, too quickly, and Oikawa screamed as he fell and crashed against the window.

The tower was just barely being kept up sideways by trees, and Oikawa opened his eyes to see a dark pit of rocks below. He gasped, panting heavily as he clenched his fists. The glass below him was cracking, the sounds hurting Oikawa's ears.

Iwaizumi was holding onto a piece of wood hanging from above, his feet dangling as he tried to kick himself up. "Oikawa!" he yelled desperately, his eyes wide with panic as Oikawa began to pick himself off.

The tower creaked, suddenly jolting, and the radio flew off the desk and headed straight for Oikawa's face. He screamed, rolling to the side to dodge it, and the radio crashed through the window. Oikawa rolled back, and screamed Iwaizumi's name as he slipped through. His hands just barely touched the edge before he slipped.

He crashed onto the railing, landing on his stomach and suddenly feeling the urge to vomit as pain coursed through him. He looked upwards, and whimpered instead of crying out as a fire began to spread throughout the building of the tower.

"Fuck, fuck,  _fuck!_ " Iwaizumi cursed as the tower leaned down further, sending Oikawa to hang onto the railing with his hands, more objects crashing through and nearly hitting him. The fire was spreading quick, the heat making Iwaizumi sweat and his clothes stick uncomfortably to his body.

Oikawa screamed as the top of the tower fell completely, his side scraping against rocks as it sunk into the hole, trapping them inside. He inhaled sharply, smoke filling his lungs as his hands grew sweaty and clammy, slipping off the metal railing that was beginning to get hot due to the fire.

" _IWA-CHAN!_ " he sobbed desperately, kicking his legs and trying to pull himself up. His arms began to burn and his shoulders felt like they were going to pop. Tears smeared Oikawa's face, cleaning off the dirt that had collected on his cheeks from the fall.

Iwaizumi cursed, slowly moving down and against the edge of the tower building as he tried to make his way towards Oikawa, the tower shaking with each step he took.

"IWA-CHAN  _PLEASE!_ " Oikawa screamed again once he saw Iwaizumi's feet on the edge of the balcony. Iwaizumi looked down, and stumbled once the tower rocked warningly.

"I-It's pretty unsteady here!" he called out, his voice echoing.

"Iwa-chan please I'm gonna fall I can't hold on," Oikawa sobbed, his voice cracking as he sniffled wetly. He couldn't hold on anymore he was gonna fall he was gonna  _fall_  he was gonna  _die_ —

"Okay okay okay," Iwaizumi said slowly, falling to his knees and leaning down to look at Oikawa. " _Okay_ , just—just  _calm_  down, alright? You're gonna be fine."

Oikawa let out a choked cry, shaking his head rapidly as he tried to pull himself up. His elbows bent upwards, and the tower jolted forward, nearly sending Iwaizumi off the edge and Oikawa's hand off the railing. He swung back and forth, and Oikawa screamed as he nearly slipped off.

" _Fuck_ ," Iwaizumi huffed, his chest burning as the smoke began to prickle at his eyes. His heart was racing, his head was pounding, his body was becoming exhausted. He could barely  _move_.

He took a step forward.

The tower creaked in response.

Oikawa's hand was barely holding on, and he looked more scared than Iwaizumi had  _ever_  seen in his entire time of knowing him. His eyes were filled with pure  _fear_ , and Iwaizumi decided he was going to do  _anything_  and  _everything_  to make that fear disappear.

Oikawa's fingers began to slip. "IWA-CHAN  _HELP ME PLEASE_ —"

Iwaizumi jumped down, grabbed Oikawa's hand, and scooped him up into his arms as he leaped off the tower and onto the rocky platform ahead of them. The tower crashed, bursting into flames and exploding as it fell down into the seemingly endless abyss below.

Oikawa let out a shaky sob, grabbing onto Iwaizumi and burying his face in his chest, his hands gripping on the back of Iwaizumi's coat and pressing as close as possible. "Thank you," he mumbled tearfully. "Thank you thank you  _thank you_."

Iwaizumi held him close, rocking him back and forth as he stroked his back soothingly. He glanced to the side, looking behind them and above.

Now the only question was,  _where_  were they?

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me @heiwagayma on tumblr yo


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love dying and being dead

"Do you even know where we are?"

"If I did I would be leading us back to the camp."

"Fair enough."

Noya had slowly been talking more and more as he and Yaku wandered the snowy forest. Although, it seemed as if they were walking everywhere _but_ the direction of the camp. Noya would protest—but he didn't know where they were either.

He wondered if everyone else that had been left behind made it. Having heard distant screams and cries all across the forest, his hopes were wearing thin.

He and Yaku hadn't spoke much to each other. The times they did were either to discuss a course of action or a question. Noya wished he had the confidence to speak up and say something, but he didn't know what to say. What could he say? Nothing to make this situation better, obviously.

He hated how much this had taken its toll on him. He was completely different now—weak and helpless in the face of death. His best friend was _dead_ , and who knew who else had been killed since the search party left. Noya didn't want to think about it, but he couldn't help it. He felt himself spiral deeper into despair, his face going pale at the thought of who would be next. Were the coaches dead? Had they been killed like Asahi? Where was Suga, Tanaka, and everyone else? Had anyone else come to look for them?

What if he or Yaku were next?

The idea of being alone out here, or Yaku being alone, shook him to his very core. His hands began to feel clammy, and a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead despite the biting cold around them.

There was a sudden rustling, and the sound of birds flying and cawing through the air. Yaku stopped, automatically throwing an arm over Noya's torso as he shone the flashlight around, narrowing his eyes to see through the darkness.

The sound of footsteps frightened them, followed by a scream that sounded close. Yaku stepped in front of Noya slightly, leading them both back from the shaking branches. A heavy, brisk chill blew through the air before a pair of hands protruded from the snow-coated bushes.

The two boys let out a pair of small yelps, and Noya's eyes widened once he saw a familiar face break through the bushes, frantic and terrified.

Tanaka looked at the two of them, and then whirled his head around to look behind him. The side of his head was covered in blood, and it looked fresh. A large gash became visible, gleaming in the light once Yaku shone the flashlight over his head. There were multiple scratches littered across his body, and his coat was missing a sleeve.

He looked like a mess.

"We gotta run!" he yelled to the two, his voice hoarse. "They're still coming!"

He darted past them, yanking on Noya's shirt and nearly pulling him to the ground as he attempted to keep up with Tanaka. Yaku followed close behind, turning off the flashlight and blindly following in the darkness.

Noya noticed Yaku slowly falling behind, and absentmindedly reached out for his hand. Yaku's fingertips brushed against his, and his hand slowly slid into his grip as Noya pulled him forward, following Tanaka to seemingly nowhere.

None of them said anything, the only sounds in the air being their panting, and shoes crunching against fallen leaves and snow. Tanaka didn't look back once, just continued to hurry along, passing the path and jumping over a log.

Yaku and Noya blindly followed him, even though it was obvious Tanaka had no idea where he was going. Noya felt himself hope, despite himself, that he was unknowingly running in the direction of the camp (or, at least, close to it).

There was something chasing them, jumping between trees and skittering across the ground. Noya could hear it, could feel it—hell, he could practically see it. Out of the corner of his eye, there was something pale racing to catch up with them. It was impossibly fast, and when Noya saw a claw outstretching itself towards him, a horribly stupid idea formed in his head.

In a split second, Noya tightened his grip on Yaku's hand, and threw his other hand in front of him to grab onto the back of Tanaka's shirt. The two looked surprised, and Noya threw himself to the side with a surprising amount of force, tumbling into the nearby bush and colliding harshly against the ground. Snow filled his mouth and nose, and his entire face burned with cold, but Noya held the other two down and didn't dare move.

The monster came to a halt just outside the bushes, jumping between tree after tree. It looked confused, angry even, if these monsters could have any other emotion besides bloodlust. The monster growled lowly, baring its teeth as its gaze darted across the area.

Noya's breath caught in his throat when the monster's eyes landed on them.

It stared, narrowing its milky white eyes, and Noya felt the two tremble underneath him. After what seemed like forever, the monster screeched into the air, tossing its head back, and disappeared the other direction in a flash.

The three panted, out of breath, and Noya climbed off them. "...Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly.

Tanaka laughed, despite himself. "You kidding, man? You probably just saved our asses!" he exclaimed, patting Noya on the back.

"Are you alright?" Yaku immediately asked, jumping up once he remembered the gash on Tanaka's head. "Jesus... what happened to you?"

He put his hand against the wound automatically, regretting it after pressing too hard, and winced. "Well..." he sighed, wiping a stray trickle of blood from his forehead, "when the creepy things started chasing us, they grabbed me. I think I blacked out after that, but I don't really remember..." He frowned, trying to jog his memory. "I think... I remember being in some kind of cave. I think one of those monster things slammed my head against a rock, and then the next thing I know, I'm alone and I started running..."

He looked up at Noya and Yaku.

"...Then I ran into you guys."

As Yaku used a ripped section of Tanaka's sleeve to make a makeshift bandage, Noya let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're alive," he said softly, his head dropping.

Tanaka grinned, lightly punching Noya's shoulder. "Hey man, can't get rid of me _that_ easily, huh?"

Despite himself, Noya smiled.

 

* * *

 

The entrance to the mines was a dark cave with an old, wooden elevator inside that lead downwards.

The lanterns that had been hung along the ceiling were cracked and long died-out. The only light provided was their flashlights, and one of them was already running low on battery.

Yamaguchi gulped as he looked at the elevator, leaning over to stare down at the abyss below. "...It doesn't look very sturdy," he mumbled, taking a step back as uneasiness settled in the pit of his stomach. All of a sudden, he felt nauseous.

"It's the only way down we have right now," Daichi said, his face set into a firm frown. "I guess... we'll just have to take our chances."

Kenma took a step closer towards Kuroo, his face going pale. "...What if it breaks?"

"It won't," Kuroo automatically replied.

"You don't know that," Kenma protested, glaring lightly at the other.

"I do."

"You don't."

"I do."

"You don't."

"Alright, alright," Bokuto interrupted before the two could go at it, "chill out, everyone." He put his hands up, and then turned around to look at the shaky elevator. "Will it even work?"

Akaashi curiously studied the lever and switch, before pressing the green button and blinking as the elevator sprung to life. The gears turned, and the elevator doors opened.

Bokuto stared with amazement, and then threw his arms in the air excitedly. "Hey, hey, hey!" he cheered, wrapping one arm around Akaashi. "That's my Akaashi!"

"...Bokuto-san, it was just a button—"

"He is _so_ whipped," Kuroo scoffed as Daichi, Kageyama, and Yamaguchi entered the elevator.

"I think there's enough room for all of us in here," Daichi called, "but I think we should go in groups so the elevator doesn't break from the weight." He nodded at Akaashi, and the dark-haired setter pulled the lever.

The elevator doors closed with a loud squeak, and Yamaguchi's face went pale as the others held their breath. The elevator made a cracking sound, and creaked loudly as it slowly began to descend. Daichi looked as if he were ready for it to fall as their faces disappeared below.

No one said a word until Daichi called out "We're okay!" from below. His voice echoed, signaling the others that he had reached the mines.

There must have been a lever below as well, because the elevator came back up to the top and opened its doors. Akaashi stepped inside quietly, wincing at the creaking sound it made as he stood in the middle. Bokuto followed eagerly, standing close to his friend with a grin.

Kuroo took one step into the elevator, and then looked behind him to see that Kenma wasn't following him. He blinked, and then turned around. "Kenma," he said, reaching out and brushing his hand against his shoulder. "It's gonna be fine. The others made it safely, you see?"

Kenma gulped, shifting uncomfortably, and didn't protest as Kuroo's hand trailed down to the small of his back and lead him inside the elevator. Kuroo called down to Daichi to send them down, and Kenma took a deep breath to ease the queasiness in his throat. He felt Kuroo pull him closer, their shoulders flush against each other.

The elevator cracked, and began to descend. Kenma flinched at the shaking and kept himself grounded.

Just before the surface disappeared from view, Kenma saw two pairs of white eyes staring from the dark forest.

 

* * *

 

The mines were dark, dirty, and wet—everything Akaashi hated. The air was tight, and Akaashi was finding it hard to breathe as they stepped further into the darkness and farther away from their only known exit.

Bokuto's presence made it slightly better, but Akaashi was beginning to feel claustrophobic from the darkness settling in on them. The flashlights provided little light compared to the large space around them, and Akaashi felt like there could be anything watching them from the corners they couldn't see.

Kuroo's arm was around Kenma, sometimes reaching up to play with his hair, and Akaashi tried to distract himself by wondering how they couldn't be dating already. Yamaguchi and Kageyama were idly talking to each other, their hushed whispers an eerie interruption of the overwhelming silence of the mines.

Daichi was in front of all of them, his flashlight providing the light ahead of them. Occasionally he would tell the others something—usually where to step and where to be careful, but other than that, he was dead silent.

Bokuto was oddly quiet as well, as if he had to be silent. Akaashi nudged him with his elbow, and when the taller looked down, he sent him a look that said _Are you okay?_

The other thought about the question for a moment, and then shrugged before nodding. "I'm fine because you're here," he whispered, grinning.

Akaashi pursed his lips, turning his head away from Bokuto. He covered his face with one hand, shoving Bokuto the side and groaning. Bokuto laughed, but his laugh quickly turned into a yelp, followed by a large splash. Akaashi's eyes widened, and he scrambled towards the fallen Bokuto, who had stumbled into some kind of underground lake.

"Bokuto-san, are you okay?" he asked as Bokuto took his hand. The others walked over, Daichi shining his flashlight over the lake, while the others observed the area around them.

Akaashi pulled Bokuto to his feet, and the taller laughed while nodding. "Yeah, I'm alright!" he assured, and Akaashi shifted.

"I'm sorry for pushing you," he said quietly, and flinched when Bokuto's warm hand patted the top of his head.

"It's alright! It was just an accident, after all." Bokuto stared at Akaashi, his gaze slowly flickering down to his chest and then back up. "But... I noticed you were having trouble breathing earlier. Is your binder too tight? How long have you been wearing it?"

Akaashi looked down at his chest, and automatically lifted his hands to tug on the edge of the binder. "Oh, um, I'm... not sure," he admitted. "I took it off while sleeping, and just put it back on before we left."

"Hmm..." Bokuto squinted at Akaashi, and then smiled. "Just making sure!"

Akaashi blushed, and then cursed himself for getting flustered. Now was not the time to question his feelings towards his best friend. They had a mine to explore—for... some reason.

That reminded him.

"Sawamura-san," he called, turning towards the apparent leader of the group, "why are we down here?"

The others turned, obviously intrigued by the answer.

Daichi scratched the back of his head, and then laughed awkwardly. "Well, uh..." he started, and then pulled out something from his coat pocket. It was a small, pocket-sized journal, the pages and covers held together with a black strap. "I found this in the lodge, and well, I got curious."

He held it out towards Akaashi, and he opened it up. The others crowded around Akaashi as he flipped through the pages, some of them yellowed and smeared with water and what looked like coffee stains.

He flipped back to the first page, which was covered in scratched-out pencil marks and tears.

_This journal is an account of the wendigo. This creature is REAL and DANGEROUS!_

_If you are reading this, you will have questions. But I do not have all the answers. This is all evidence and stories of my own experience._

"...'Wendigo'," Akaashi slowly repeated, narrowing his eyes. He had remembered hearing something about those before. Weren't they some kind of old Native American legend? If so, what were they doing all the way in Japan?

_The wendigo grows out of CANNIBALISM! When a human is desperate and craves food, trapped on the mountain in the fierce winter storms, when they have eaten nothing for many days, the Wendigo spirit will begin to possess them. Even the strongest are weak to it. They will kill without remorse - often those companions who have traveled with them. They will eat the flesh raw from the corpses._

_The eyes turn first and become milky and white. Then the teeth become longer, like fangs. The creature grows and the skin is pulled taut across the bones._

_There is no avoiding it._

Akaashi felt sick to his stomach. There were monsters with them on the mountain—ones who wanted to kill them, ones who used to be human and were corrupted by a curse. It all felt too fake, there was no way it was real. It was all out of sorts, too far out.

These monsters were most likely the ones who killed Azumane Asahi, and who knows whoever else...

"...Who wrote this?" Akaashi asked, gulping down his nausea and hoping his voice wasn't too shaky.

"I don't know," Daichi replied, and then sighed. "There's no name on it."

"Where did you find it?" Kuroo asked, narrowing his eyes. "Why didn't you tell us about it?"

Daichi looked absolutely guilty, his eyes glassy. "I..." he mumbled. "I found it in a locked room after breaking down the door. I didn't want to freak any of you out. I'm sorry."

Akaashi quietly handed back the journal to Daichi, out of questions. He sighed, running a hand through his hair, and suddenly felt like crying.

Kenma jumped back abruptly, making Kuroo flinch, and the shorter male shakily pointed to a path near the elevator. The others turned, following his gaze to a sleek, dark, nonhuman figure slash its claws against the buttons on the elevator. The elevator trembled, and then the wood and wires connecting it to the rest of the structure snapped—sending the entire thing crashing to the ground.

The dust that scattered made the group cough and wheeze, and Yamaguchi let out a squeak as the figure turned towards them.

"...I think now would be best to run," Kuroo mumbled as it slowly darted from side to side.

Before any of them could move, the creature screeched and charged forward, extending its claws and wrapping them around Yamaguchi's leg. He screamed, falling to the ground and slamming his chin, making his teeth clatter with an uncomfortable clack. Kenma and Bokuto grabbed onto his hands, the others grabbing on to pull him back, but the creature was stronger compared to all their weight together.

Yamaguchi was pulled into the darkness, his screams echoing through the cavern.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me??? copying from the strangers journal??? i would never,,


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM ALIVE
> 
> IM SO SORRY THIS IS SO LATE JFC ITS BEEN LIKE A MONTH
> 
> UNDERTALE IS DISTRACTING ME IDK IF YOUVE NOTICED BUT
> 
> ALSO THIS CHAPTER IS REALLY BAD IM SORRY HOPEFULLY THE NEXT ONE WILL BE BETTER

When Yachi opened her eyes, there were two pairs staring down at her.

She flinched, jolting backwards, and four hands grabbed onto her arms and shoulders, keeping her grounded to the table. She could feel a liquid on her body, and she could hear a disgusting squelching sound echoing in the room when she moved.

Kiyoko and Suga let out a sigh in unison, before Yachi was lifted ever so slightly. She remained silent as Kiyoko carefully unwrapped her shoulder, not even giving so much as a wince at the stinging and pain that killed her nerves. She could hear Kiyoko make a distressed noise, and she turned her head slightly to see Kiyoko covering her mouth with one shaking hand, gulping as she stared at the wound on Yachi's shoulder.

Yachi didn't want to look, so she didn't. She could feel the blood, though. She wasn't sure if the blood hadn't even stopped, or if she had just reopened her wound by moving around too much.

She felt weak, lightheaded, and lights and dark spots were dancing across her vision. The world was moving so slow, too slow, and Yachi just wanted to pick up the remote control and fast-forward everything. Skip everything and leap past it all.

But fast-forward to what? What would she land on?

Her own death?

Yachi couldn't think. Her head was spinning. Was _she_ spinning? Why couldn't she move? Who was touching her?

Kiyoko. It was Kiyoko. Her hand was on the small of her back. She just had to focus. Keep herself grounded.

Yachi took a deep breath.

"Everything is going to be fine, Hitoka-chan," Kiyoko assured, the undertones of her voice shaky. "We're going to get you a doctor soon, and you're going to be okay."

_Lies. All lies._

Yachi could feel blood trickling down her back, staining her shirt. Kiyoko let out a slow breath and wiped it up with a cloth, dabbing the wound, and looked frantically towards Suga. He blanched in response, and paled as he took a step forward and put his hands on Yachi's arm.

"Does it hurt?" he asked unsurely, and Yachi turned to stare at him. Of course it hurt. Of course it did. Why even ask?

When Yachi didn't reply, Suga bit his lip and backed up a bit. He quickly went to Kiyoko's side, helping her separate the cloth that was to be used as a bandage. Yachi felt something pressing against her shoulder, against the wound, and the disgusting squelching sound returned. It clogged her ears, surrounded her, and she could barely breathe.

Yachi let out a choked whimper. It _hurt_ so so much _why_ —

Kiyoko kissed the side of her head, and squeezed her eyes shut as she tied the cloth together, causing Yachi to jolt and the blood to seep through the cloth. Yachi wiped at her eyes, vision blurry and dancing with spots, and looked over at Kiyoko and Suga with dejected eyes.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, voice slurring.

Kiyoko just grabbed at her hand, squeezing as she dropped her head. Tears pattered against Yachi's skin, and Yachi wanted nothing more than to wipe them away.

 

* * *

 

It took a long time for Oikawa to separate from Iwaizumi once they had safely made it to ground. Even when they had stood up and walked further into the overwhelming darkness, Oikawa's hands were still gripping onto his shirt with a death grip.

"Hey," Iwaizumi said softly, his hand squeezing Oikawa's, and frowning as the other flinched at his touch, "calm down. You're okay."

Oikawa didn't trust his voice, so he just nodded. Iwaizumi hesitated, but let his hand slide into Oikawa's, lacing their fingers together and squeezing. Oikawa looked down in surprise, but Iwaizumi could feel him relax ever so slightly.

Oikawa squeezed his hand back, and Iwaizumi sighed.

"I think we're in a cave or something," he finally said, putting his free hand on his hip and looking at their surroundings. It was wet, damp, and there were scattered footprints and markings on the ground and walls.

Oikawa rolled his eyes. "There's a lot of shit on this mountain."

Iwaizumi just scoffed, shaking his head in a silent agreement.

"What do we do now?" Oikawa asked, his voice slowly getting louder like the way it always did whenever he was trying to hide how upset he was. Iwaizumi decided not to question it for now.

"... I don't know," Iwaizumi finally said. He tightened his grip on Oikawa's hand, and hesitantly took a step forward into the darkness ahead.

 

* * *

 

Everything was black.

His vision zoomed as he was dragged—he could feel the rocks beneath him digging into his skin and drawing blood. He could feel the cold hands of whatever was holding him. He could feel its nails digging into him. He could hear the growls of the monster, and the screams of his friends as he tried to claw himself back. But his vision was black, and he couldn't see a thing.

He tried to carve from the monster's grip, trying to grab onto something, anything. He fumbled uselessly in the air, feeling around for something to grab. His fingers brushed by a wall, and he felt his chest tighten as his fingers managed to wrap around something. He didn't know what it was, but it was metal and it was solid.

The creature stopped for a moment, and he let out a slow breath, but then pulled as hard as it could and nearly popped his shoulder. He whimpered, biting his lip and forcing himself to fight the creature's grip and wrap his arms around the solid metal. He squeezed his eyes shut despite him not being able to see otherwise. The creature let out a shrill scream, its dirty nails scratching at his leg, and he gasped out loud at the sudden pain that shot through his right leg. He could feel something wet on him, and he just knew he was bleeding. But then the creature leg go, and he wasted no time clinging to the solid metal entirely.

Then there was silence.

Yamaguchi inhaled shakily, his lungs failing to support him, and he opened his eyes. It was still completely black, but he couldn't feel any signs of movement save for his own trembling form. The creature that grabbed him must have left. He almost felt relieved.

But then he realized that he was completely alone.

_"You'll just get yourself killed out there. Didn't you hear those animal screams last night? That thing out there is going to kill you, just like those idiots in the search party."_

He squeezed his eyes shut again, Tsukishima's words filling his mind. How was Tsukishima? Was he still sitting in his room alone? Was he helping out at all?

Was he dead?

Yamaguchi sniffled, wiping at his nose and feeling something wet that definitely wasn't snot. "He was _right_ ," he mumbled tearfully. "He's _always_ right." He was so _stupid_. Stupid for thinking _he_ could help out. Stupid and _weak_ for trying to do something on his own. Look where it got him.

He almost _died_ , and who knew if _everyone else_ was dead?

What if it was just him and those monsters down here? What had the journal called them? Wendigos?

Yamaguchi slowly rose to his feet, glancing around for some sort of light source or something he could actually see. Then something glinted out of the corner of his eye and he whirled around, only for it to disappear as soon as he looked. Yamaguchi took a hesitant step, feeling around for anything in front of him, and he flinched when his hands dragged across something bumpy and hard. He assumed it was the wall, and kept one hand on it as he stepped forward. There was another glint, and Yamaguchi gulped as he managed to get himself towards the source.

It was a knife.

The knife was resting on the ground, its blade old but durable. The light was coming from a small hole in the ceiling, and Yamaguchi hesitantly reached down to pick up the knife. Its handle was rough, and the blade was coated with something wet, but it was still usable.

Yamaguchi didn't really know how to use a knife, but he figured it couldn't be that hard. Just... point and slice, right? He could defend himself with it.

He let out a slow wheeze and slid the knife into one of his belt loops, hoping the blade wouldn't cut through and he would lose the knife.

He took a step forward, and nearly stumbled. There was a giant hole underneath him, and who knew where it lead. Yamaguchi began to turn back, but then a high-pitched shriek filled the air.

And it wasn't human.

Yamaguchi decided to take his chances over being killed, and jumped through the hole without a second thought.

 

* * *

 

Hinata sat against a tree, his knees pulled up to his chest. His mind was blank, and he was forcing himself to keep it that way. But his composure was slipping, and all he wanted to do was cry.

Almost everyone had left the camp, and nobody had returned, save for Suga and Lev. Yachi was severely injured, and there was no telling if she was going to make it. Asahi was dead, and according to Suga, so was Tanaka. Who knew if anyone else was dead? What if everyone outside of camp was dead?

He hated his mind for reminding him over and over that his friends were dead, and others were dying.

Hinata's thoughts drifted to Kageyama.

Was he okay? Was he alive? What about everyone else with him?

A small noise came from the back to Hinata's throat, and he covered his mouth with his hands his eyes filled with the tears he was previously unable to produce. They started trickling down his cheeks, and he tossed his head back against the tree with a muffled sob.

"HINATA!?"

His eyes opened wide, and he looked over to see Noya and Yaku holding up an injured Tanaka.

Hinata was speechless, his hands falling from his mouth as he stared at the three. Yaku and Noya stumbled over to him, Tanaka's head rolling on his shoulders. He was coated in blood, and the cloth around his head was stained so red it was almost black.

None of them looked in very good shape, and Hinata jumped to his feet so quickly he nearly fell over. He ran over, helping the two carry Tanaka without saying a word. He wasn't even sure what he _would_ say. He didn't trust his voice.

"Is the camp nearby?" Yaku asked, and Hinata just nodded, gulping down nausea as he took a few steps forward.

 

* * *

 

"Sugawara-san!?" Yaku called once they entered the camp, but there was no answer. Yaku looked expectantly at Hinata, and the latter nodded before rushing into the main building.

He slammed the doors open, gasping and panting as he checked in each room. Then there was a hand on his shoulder and Hinata whirled around to see Suga giving him a strange look.

"Hinata, are you okay!?" he asked almost frantically, trying to steady Hinata and keep him grounded.

Hinata nodded quickly, and then pointed outside. Suga followed his finger with narrowed eyes, and then three figures stumbled inside with a groan and Suga's lips parted in a sharp gasp.

Yaku and Noya both collapsed on the ground as soon as they managed to drag Tanaka inside. Noya groaned, propping himself up with his forearms, and then looked up at Suga with a sheepish, nervous smile.

Suga's eyes were wide, and he wasn't able to move. He blinked owlishly, his jaw dropped, and then he fell forward. "Tanaka..." he whispered, eyes glassy, and managed to force himself to his feet to stumble over towards him. "I thought... I-I... you were _dead_..."

Tanaka just laughed, but broke out into a cough. "Haha, yeah, so did I..."

Suga grabbed at his head, and peeled back the cloth slightly to look at his wound. "O-Okay, okay," he stammered, helping Tanaka to his feet and letting him lean on him. "I-I... okay, I'm gonna take you to another r-room, with Kiyoko and Yachi. We can try to fix you up, okay?"

Tanaka winced as a rough movement jostled his head. "Ah, alright."

As Suga quickly exited the room, Hinata turned to the other two and sat on his knees in front of them. "Are you okay?" he asked in a small voice, his throat tight from not speaking and crying for so long.

Noya grabbed onto the back of Yaku's shirt and pulled him up, and then shrugged. "As I'll ever be," he replied nonchalantly. But then frowned. "We need to be careful, though. There's... a lot of scary shit out there."

"Like what?"

Yaku and Noya glanced at each other and exchanged a look. Then Noya laughed dryly and gave Hinata an empty glare.

"Monsters."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this sucked i know but i wanted to get something out since its been an entire month omg


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if it looks like that i have no idea where i'm going with this story then you're half-right because i'm kind of winging it as i go along. but i do have some stuff planned don't worry.
> 
> (or do worry...?)

He couldn't breathe he couldn't breathe he couldn't _breathe_

Where was he? Was he dying? Why couldn't he see anything?

His vision was blurred, line of sight obscured. Glitching figures of multi-color whizzed past his eyes, and it felt like his head was spinning round and round his shoulders until it was going to fall off. Then he would be headless on the ground with no one around him. He would be _alone_ all alone forever—

He could hear distant screams. His ears felt like they were bleeding but they weren't, and when he put his hands on them there was another pair coming to meet his. They were soft, and rested gently on top of his own, trying to pry his hands away from his ears, but he shook his head over and over and oh _god_ he was going to vomit.

There was someone talking to him but he wasn't listening. There was someone running in the distance and shouting but he wasn't paying attention. He felt himself losing his balance and he stumbled, feeling his ankles twist the wrong way and he was sent to the ground. He landed on his behind, nearly falling back into the water but someone caught him just in time. His chest was tightening and he couldn't breathe and his throat was thick and his eyes were filling with tears and oh god was he crying?

"Kuro!"

Who was talking? Who was it? Who was in front of him? Why couldn't he think of a name?

"Kuro, look at me." Now the voice was calm.

There were small hands running through his hair. Kuroo's breathing was shaky as his vision slowly began to clear to see the worried face of Kenma looking down at him. Kenma was leaning up over him, his knees on either side of his hips, and his hands cupping his face. Kenma saw the look on Kuroo's face and pressed his head to his chest, wrapping his arms around his head and holding him there.

Kuroo's throat refused to let him speak, so he silently wrapped his arms around Kenma's waist and gripped at his back.

"Kuro, are you okay?" Kenma asked after a few moments, his voice hushed in a whisper. Even though he was trying his best to be calm for Kuroo's sake, Kuroo could see the way he was trembling and biting his lip.

"Are _you_ okay?" Kuroo asked in a raspy voice, giving Kenma a look with his eyes. When Kenma didn't answer, he glanced around to see that Bokuto was arguing with Daichi and Akaashi about something, and Kageyama was sitting on the ground solemnly.

"We _need_ to go after him!" Bokuto urged, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.

"We can't risk anyone else getting lost too!" Daichi argued, furrowing his eyebrows and his face morphing into that look his underclassmen were so terrified of. But Bokuto was no coward, and he only took a step forward.

Akaashi quickly put a hand on Bokuto's shoulder, making a soft murmur of _Bokuto-san_ , but Bokuto shrugged it off harshly. " _Don't touch me_ ," he seethed under his breath, and Kuroo could see the sudden flash of shock on Akaashi's face before he masked it with his usual emotionless expression.

Kenma slowly rose from Kuroo's lap and wandered over towards Kageyama, who had hunched forward until his head was between his legs. His shoulders were shaking, and his fists were clenched into balls and digging into his palms. Kenma didn't know Kageyama well, at all, but from how much Hinata had spoken about him in their back and forth texts, he figured that he was at least trustworthy.

"Um..." Kenma started awkwardly, and once he saw the jolt in Kageyama's fingers that let him know that he was at least listening, he continued, "well, uh... if we're going to find Yamaguchi, we'll need your help. So..." He wasn't sure what to say. He was sure Hinata could snap him out of his sudden delve into depression—but Hinata wasn't here.

When Kenma looked over towards Kuroo for help, he frowned when he noticed that the latter had scurried off towards the others to try and resolve things and dispel the thick tension that had washed over them. Kenma picked at his hands slightly, biting the inside of his cheek, and when he looked back at Kageyama, he was staring straight back at him. Kenma leaned back a little in surprise, but took a deep breath, and forced himself to keep Kageyama's gaze.

"You know Hinata, right?" Kageyama asked, his voice so small and weak it made Kenma feel bad for him.

Kenma nodded, and Kageyama's eyes seemed to brighten slightly. He rose to his feet, Kenma following, and looked down at him.

"If... if I don't make it back or something happens to me... tell him..." His ears went pink, and Kenma cocked his head curiously as Kageyama fumbled to figure out what to say. "Uh... t-tell him... what happened... to me..."

Kenma pursed his lips. "What makes you think you aren't coming back?"

"... Just in case," was all Kageyama replied. He was eyeing the dark area where Yamaguchi had just disappeared.

Kenma let out a slow sigh. "Well, same goes for me, too."

Kageyama looked surprised, oddly enough. "Do you think _you_ aren't coming back?" he questioned, flabbergasted. "You have Kuroo-san." As if to prove a point, Kageyama pointed over to said boy, who was whispering something to Daichi desperately, his left hand clutching Bokuto's shoulder in a death-grip.

"You have people who care about you too, you know," was all Kenma decided to say before wandering off towards Akaashi, who looked like he was about to pass out.

Akaashi didn't seem to notice him approaching, and when Kenma let out a soft call of his name, he flinched violently and put a hand over his chest, clutching the fabric tightly. "Oh..." he breathed, looking away from his knowing face. "I didn't see you there..."

"Are you struggling to breathe?" Kenma asked, eyeing the way Akaashi was taking slow, deep breaths and the way he was holding onto his chest, tugging every so often. "Is it... do you need to take it off—"

"No," Akaashi said quickly with a shake of his head, accidentally cutting the other off. "I'm alright. I just need to calm down."

There was suddenly a loud hoot, and everyone turned over to look over at Daichi. He was holding up his hands, glaring at Bokuto, who had chosen to stray away from the group of captains and was hanging out alone in the corner. He looked incredibly pissed off—suffering from one of his mood swings, Kenma supposed.

Kuroo gave Daichi a look, and Daichi sighed. "We're going to move along ahead," he said, and ignored the huff that came from Bokuto, "and if we happen to see Yamaguchi along the way or some trail of him, we'll go and find him."

"So basically you're abandoning him," Bokuto scoffed.

"That is _not_ what I said, we're going to move on and if we see him—"

"Yeah, _if_ ," Bokuto interrupted, whirling around to face him with blazing eyes. "You're not even making an _effort_ to go after him, your own _teammate_. It's like you don't even _care_ what happens to him!"

"Yamaguchi isn't _weak_ , he can handle himself—"

"Is _that_ the reason you won't go after him!?"

"Would you _quit_ interrupting me!?"

" _BOTH OF YOU_ SHUT THE _HELL_ UP."

The two arguing captains looked over to face Kuroo, who was rubbing his temples and groaning in aggravation. " _Look_ ," he started, gritting out his words between clenched teeth, "if we're going to make it down here, we need to _work together_ and _not_ be at each other's throats every five seconds." He gave warning looks towards both Bokuto and Daichi, and Kenma had to remind himself how scary Kuroo could be when he was serious (he would say _dead serious_ , but the word choice wasn't exactly fitting at the moment).

Daichi and Bokuto glanced at each other, and then huffed, both turning away. Akaashi clicked his tongue.

"Now, I think we should go with Sawamura's plan—" Kuroo raised a hand to put a halt to Bokuto's complaint before it even left his mouth. "— _but_ we should also make an effort to find Yamaguchi." The words _if he isn't dead already_ went unspoken, but they hung in the air, almost physical to the touch. Kuroo then turned his attention towards Daichi, and held out his hand. "Sawamura. Give me the journal."

Daichi bit the inside of his cheek and hesitated, but once he saw the look in Kuroo's eyes, he fished it out of his jacket pocket and handed it over.

"Thank you," Kuroo said, and flipped it open to a random page, scanning the words and looking on each side. "Maybe there's something else in here that's useful to us." After a few silent moments of pages turning and tiny hums, Kuroo let out a sudden exclamation and slapped his palm against a set of pages. "Here we go!"

The others gathered around to read the pages he pointed to.

_The Wendigo's eyes change. They become both sharper and more dim. The Wendigo sees movement. It is a hunter, like a hawk. But it cannot see stillness. If you are to keep totally still then the Wendigo will not be able to see you._

_The skin and flesh of the Wendigo are hard, like armor. They seem to feel no pain. They cannot be cut or stabbed. Bullets will not pierce their skin, though a shotgun will keep them at bay._

_Because the Wendigo is mutated from a human, it knows how to hunt us. It can perfectly mimic its prey. You must remain sharp and disciplined. _ _Knives or bullets will not harm them. Use a flamethrower. It is the best weapon. Fire envelops them, burns away their skin and makes them weak._

_But try NOT to kill them._

_Killing a Wendigo should be the last resort. Death releases the Wendigo spirit into the air._

_I have contained them. I used traps to catch them into cages. The traps were baited with human limbs from those who had no further use for them._ _One by one I caught those who had infested the mountain._

"That's why the mines were marked off," Kenma murmured in realization, his eyes going wide. "The writer trapped them down here..." He glanced up at Kuroo worriedly, hoping it didn't show on his face. "Do you think... some escaped?"

Kuroo patted his head, ruffling his hair. "I'll protect you from anything, kitten," he replied, but Kenma noticed that he effectively avoided the question.

"So it's like... the one dinosaur from Jurassic Park," Kageyama said softly. "The... big one."

"Tyrannosaur," Daichi supplied, and Kageyama nodded at him.

"So it won't see us if we don't move?" Akaashi asked, rereading the pages and frowning a bit. "And... it can mimic its prey. So, if we hear something, it could be one of them trying to catch us?"

Kuroo nodded. "That's why we should be careful when finding Yamaguchi," he said. "If we hear screams in the distance or anything that sounds like him, we need to approach with _extreme caution._ "

"What if it can't see us but it touches us?" Bokuto asked, his eyes narrowing. "What happens then?"

Kuroo let out a sigh and flipped the book closed. "Dunno," he replied with a casual shrug, even though the situation was anything but casual, and then turned towards Bokuto with a large grin. "Hope for the best, I guess?"

"We're doomed," Akaashi deadpanned.

 

* * *

 

Yaku wrapped his hand around his wrist, wiggling it around and frowning at how it cracked with each twist. "Ow," he muttered softly, rubbing at it with his thumb and huffing. He wasn't sure if he sprained it or something, but there was definitely pain there.

"Does it hurt?" Noya asked, leaning over until his chin was almost leaning on his shoulder.

From beside Noya, Hinata snapped his head up.

Yaku shrugged. "Yeah, but, it's no big deal," he said, waving him off with his good hand. "A lot better compared to..." He let his voice trail off, but all three pairs of eyes directed over to the room where Tanaka and Yachi were being kept.

"Huh." Noya's voice was almost a whisper. He reached over and took Yaku's wrist gently, rubbing his thumbs over it and pursing his lips once he heard the quiet winces that came from Yaku. Yaku was almost surprised at himself for not pulling away automatically, but Noya's attention to his wrist was strangely making it feel better. He didn't feel embarrassed at all until he saw the way Hinata was watching him intently, and turned his head away, bashfulness rising to his face in the form of pink.

Suddenly, there was a muffled cry that came from the other room, and all three of them jolted. Yaku pulled his wrist away from Noya's grip, and slowly climbed to his feet as the sobs continued. They weren't entirely sure _who_ was crying, but it sounded like they were in a lot of pain.

"I'm dying I'm dying," the voice sobbed, followed by a loud, wet sniffle.

Yaku and Noya looked at each other in alarm, and Noya slowly pulled Hinata to stand behind him even though there wasn't any life-threatening danger (not to them, anyway). Yaku walked up and knocked on the door hesitantly, hearing the sobs stop suddenly, followed by shuffling.

The door opened just a crack, and Kiyoko's trouble face peeked through. "Yes?" she asked, her voice breathless.

"Um..." Yaku mumbled, suddenly feeling sheepish and worried that he had interrupted something. "Well, uh, I just heard crying, and I was worried that something was wrong."

Kiyoko looked behind her for a moment, and then waved to someone before stepping outside, closing the door behind her and leaning on it. She let her head fall, her hair concealing her face.

"Hitoka-chan is in a lot of pain," she murmured, clasping her hands in front of her, her nails digging into her skin. "Her wound is only getting worse, a-and we're running out of ideas..." The tremor in her voice made her let out a sniffle, and Kiyoko wiped at her eyes. "...I don't know... if..."

Noya walked up, followed by an extremely troubled Hinata, and he took Kiyoko's hand reassuringly. Noya gave her a determined gaze, taking a deep breath, and then said, "I'm sure she's going to be just fine, Kiyoko-san. Once it's dawn, people will come and they'll be able to give her the attention she needs."

The words seemed to lessen Kiyoko's worries, if only for a split second. She was still on the verge of tears, and Noya internally cursed at himself for being unable to prevent her from crying. But Kiyoko nodded at him nonetheless, untrustworthy of her voice, and her expression told Noya all he needed to know— _Thank you._

Kiyoko retreated back into the room, and the sobs returned, but they were softer and calmer than before.

Noya bit the inside of his cheek and glanced over at Yaku. The latter returned his weary look, and the three walked back to sit at the table in the main lodge area. They sat in silence for what seemed like hours (if only), until Noya finally looked back over at Yaku and held out his hand.

Yaku looked at his open palm and then at his face with a confused look. "What?"

"Gimme your wrist," Noya clarified. "It helped, right? I saw your face."

Yaku blinked and then shrugged, loosely letting his wrist fall into Noya's palm. He almost didn't feel it when Noya's thumbs began rubbing into his skin again.

 

* * *

 

Trying to maneuver in the dark while holding hands proved to be a challenge, Iwaizumi came to realize. And yet, Oikawa showed no signs of letting go, so neither did Iwaizumi.

"Are we in some kind of mine?" Oikawa asked, looking up at the wet cavern ceiling and at the walls littered with scratches and questionable stains.

"I guess," Iwaizumi shrugged, deciding not to think into it too much.

Oikawa was definitely thinking into it—and he was thinking far too much. When Iwaizumi turned back to look at him, he could see the worry in his eyes and the worse-case scenarios swimming in his mind. He was biting his lip, picking at his nails with his free hand, and the palm that was gripping Iwaizumi's tightened and became sweaty.

Iwaizumi stopped in place, and Oikawa was so deep in thought that he nearly collided into him. He stopped, putting a hand in front of him, and gave Iwaizumi a startled look. "Iwa-chan?" he questioned softly, his voice loud no matter how hard he tried to keep it quiet. It was always loud no matter how hard he tried to hide his apprehension.

Iwaizumi clicked his tongue. "Annoying," he muttered, giving Oikawa a deadpanned look. "Quit overthinking everything. You're giving me a headache."

"Wh—" Oikawa protested, and then stomped his foot against the ground, "h-how do you think _I_ feel!?"

"You feel scared," Iwaizumi said in a matter-of-factly tone, and Oikawa shut his mouth almost immediately. Iwaizumi leaned forward, running a hand through Oikawa's hair, letting it settle in the brown locks that were always soft no matter how much product Oikawa put in his hair in the morning (and during school; Iwaizumi could see the hidden bottles of gel in his school bag).

Oikawa refused to meet Iwaizumi's gaze, but the latter scoffed and grabbed Oikawa's chin until he was looking him in the eye.

"Nothing is going to happen to you while I'm here, okay?"

"What if you're not here?"

Oikawa's question threw Iwaizumi off-guard, and he was rendered speechless for a moment until he rolled his eyes at him. "Now you're being ridiculous."

"No, I'm not." Oikawa's voice was strangely serious, and it made the atmosphere uncomfortable. "What..." Now he looked like he was going to cry, and a crying Oikawa was even harder to deal with than a scared one. "... What if you die, Iwa-chan?"

Iwaizumi opened his mouth to reply and tell Oikawa he was being stupid, but Oikawa beat him to it.

"I almost... _died_ back there. I could've _fallen_... and... if you weren't there to _save_ me, then I would've..." He swallowed thickly, his hand having broken from Iwaizumi's some time ago and somehow slipped Iwaizumi's attention. "But... I could've _easily_ been gone. What if _you_ were in my shoes at that moment and... and I wasn't able to save you?" He looked up at Iwaizumi, and the expression he was sporting broke Iwaizumi's heart in two. "What if you _die_ because of _me ?_ "

Iwaizumi shook his head firmly, and grabbed both of Oikawa's shoulders. "I'm not going to let that happen."

"I-Iwa-chan... there's some things even you can't control. What if—"

"Shut the _fuck_ up," Iwaizumi spat, and resisted the urge to smack Oikawa just to snap him out of his sudden depressive episode. "I don't fucking _care_ if I can't control it. I _won't_ let it happen. _Nobody_ is going to die."

"But—"

" _Nobody_ ," he repeated, and that was final.

Oikawa was almost crying. His hands were shaking, balled into fists to try and keep them steady, and he was about to say something back when an ear-piercing shriek filled the air and echoed off the damp walls in the cavern.

The two boys froze in place, and looked around frantically for the source and direction of the noise.

"Iwa-chan what was that," Oikawa said in one breath, his hand gripping onto Iwaizumi's sleeve for dear life. "Iwa-chan. Answer me. Please."

"I..." Iwaizumi swallowed. "I don't know."

Then there was another shriek, and this time, it sounded closer. Oikawa's breathing was shaky, and Iwaizumi's quickly matched his.

"We have to get out of here," Oikawa said desperately, grabbing onto Iwaizumi's wrist and pulling him in a random direction. "Anywhere. Please. Just far away from here."

"What—" Iwaizumi cut himself off once he saw Oikawa's face.

Oikawa bit his lip to keep it from quivering. " _Please_ ," he whispered, eyes glassy and reflecting off the moonlight that shined through the holes of the ceiling of the cave. Through the dim light, Iwaizumi could see the gleam of tears.

Without a word, Iwaizumi nodded, and let Oikawa take him wherever he pleased.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these poor children
> 
> feedback is always appreciated!!


	10. Chapter 10

His legs were cramping up but there was no way he was moving from where he was.

Oikawa's grip tightened on Iwaizumi's sleeve, eyes wide and unmoving as they stared at the wall ahead of them. Neither of them were moving, not even shaking out of fear. Oikawa held his breath, hand trembling slightly as his nails dug into the fabric. He could feel Iwaizumi's pulse battering against his skin as he gulped, and Oikawa let out a slow breath to try and keep himself from losing his composure (more than he already had, of course).

The shadow of whatever was stalking them crept by the wooden wall they were hidden behind. Through the cracks, the two could see the outline of a white-skinned creature, disfigured and snarling as its head darted around at an incredible speed—looking for them, no doubt. It bared its sharp teeth, moonlight glinting off of them and making them whiter than they were, even though most of its teeth were stained with a red substance neither of them wanted to find out what it was.

Oikawa closed his eyes, biting into his lip hard enough to almost draw blood. He didn't dare chew down harder—the creature might be able to smell it. Could it smell fear? Could it smell sweat? What if it actually knew where they were and it was just taunting them? Was this where he was going to die?

The thought made him shiver.

He couldn't tell what Iwaizumi was feeling. He couldn't see his expression. Was he as scared as he was?

There was another snarl, echoing uncomfortably in the cave, and Oikawa slapped a hand over his mouth to muffle a whimper. He felt himself beginning to hyperventilate, and he jolted violently when an arm curled around his shoulders and a hand slid into his hair. He could feel Iwaizumi's pulse through his fingers as he pushed Oikawa's head to lay in the crook of his neck, and Oikawa's second hand came up to intertwine with Iwaizumi's. His presence slowly began to calm Oikawa down, and he opened his eyes just barely to see the creature give out a final snarl, and finally dart away at an incredible speed.

Once its echoing screeches finally came to a stop, Oikawa let out the breath he didn't know he was holding, but neither made the move to get up. If anything, their grips on each other only tightened.

After a few moments, Iwaizumi's hand fell away from Oikawa's head. "You okay?" he whispered so silently Oikawa almost didn't hear it.

Oikawa didn't quite trust his voice, so he gave a short nod. He was the first to stand. His legs felt like jelly and his stomach was flipping, but he swallowed it down and put on a fake smile as he turned around to extend a hand towards Iwaizumi. But once he saw the intense look in Iwaizumi's eyes, the fake smile faded, and Oikawa looked down at the ground as Iwaizumi took his hand and stood.

Iwaizumi leaned down to look at Oikawa's face, brushing his hair back to see his eyes, but Oikawa's eyes were looking anywhere but his face. He bit the inside of his cheek, and lifted his hand to stroke at Oikawa's trembling lips, pulling it out from underneath his teeth and wiping away the blood he finally drew.

A strangled noise left Oikawa's throat, and he quickly covered his eyes with his arm, sniffling and wiping at his eyes before Iwaizumi could see anything. Once he was sure the tears were gone, he let his arm drop to his sides, and hesitantly looked at Iwaizumi's face. The way he was looking at him—the way his brows were furrowed in concern, the way worry was swirling in his dark eyes, the way his mouth was set into a frown—it made him want to start crying all over again.

He wanted to say so many things, but each phrase whirled around in his head over and over until they became jumbled nonsense, until words blurred together into nonsense.

He should've said something meaningful, something that would help them, something to make Iwaizumi the one feeling protected, something that didn't make him seem so weak.

Instead, he said, "Please don't leave me, Hajime."

Iwaizumi didn't laugh, nor did his expression change. If anything, the hand brushing Oikawa's cheek only tightened as it made its way to Oikawa's jaw, and Iwaizumi was saying something, but Oikawa's ears were ringing and he wasn't paying attention to anything.

When he looked at Iwaizumi's lips, he read the words _I'll never leave you._

And it was like the universe held its breath as their lips met.

 

* * *

 

Yamaguchi grunted as he collided harshly with the ground. He took a moment to gather his surroundings, fumbling around for the knife he had dropped. Once it was safely secure in his hands, he turned to lie on his back, and looked up at the hole he jumped through with a blurry gaze. It took about a minute for his vision to finally settle, and he threw an arm over his eyes and let out a slow breath.

God, he hoped he hadn't just put himself in more danger.

He stood up, wiping off his clothes. His coat was torn and ruined, so he took it off and tossed it aside—it was easier to move without it, anyways. He assumed he would need to move fast sometime in the future.

Yamaguchi blinked, stepping forward carefully to make sure his surface was safe to walk on, and looked around the area in hopes to grasp a sense as to where he was. He frowned in confusion—it was completely different from the caves he had recently fallen from. Was this lower level just the same thing, but with a different appearance?

When he reached over to touch the walls, he was startled to feel a marble surface. It was cracked and edgy, but he could feel a smooth area as he stepped forward, and the chill made goosebumps rise to his arms.

He needed a light source.

All he had was a knife, which wouldn't give him much of anything other than protection, so he slid it back into his belt loop and prayed that it stayed there. Yamaguchi let his fingers run along the marble of the walls, holding his breath as he moved forward. All of his senses were on alert, the echo of the inhuman scream rolling on loop in his mind. He listened carefully, his footsteps soft as his boots crunched against the dirt and rocks on the floor. It was very dark, and he could barely see a thing, but his eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness and he could see light glinting off the blade of his knife.

Glancing around frantically for the source, he held his breath once he saw the faint flicker of orange in a side room across from him.

Yamaguchi hesitated, scanning the ground for obstacles, and slowly made his way over to the other side. His feet stumbled in holes in the floor, almost tripping over fallen rocks and rubble, but eventually his hands wrapped around the handle of the door that led to the source, and he swung it open almost impatiently. Inside was an old lantern sitting on a desk, the flame inside very faint and on the brink of going out. He rushed over towards it, not caring about the noise he made as he leaned down and searched around the desk for any kind of lighter or something that could make the flame higher.

Once he found none, he went to blowing on the flame lightly, biting his lip as the flame flickered. His breath caught in his throat, and for a moment he thought he messed up, but then the flame began to burn brightly and he sighed in relief.

He knew the lantern most likely wouldn't last long. Yamaguchi clicked his tongue, using the lantern to light the area around the desk, and searched for something that might be useful.

A box of bullets caught his eye. He opened it, frowning when there were only two. There was no gun in sight either, but he grabbed the two bullets and put them in his jean pocket nonetheless. They might come in handy sometime later, he figured. Even though he had no idea how to use a gun.

There wasn't much else on the desk—just a few crumbled pieces of paper with scribbles on them, fallen pens and pencils, and broken glass from alcohol bottles. Yamaguchi couldn't tell where he was just from the desk, but considering the writings on the paper, he was definitely not in the caves anymore.

But what kind of facility would need to be so hidden that it would be so below the ground?

Yamaguchi frowned. He wondered what time it was. Had the sun rose already? The coaches went missing sometime around 2 AM. The search party left sometime around half an hour later. Around 3 AM, probably, is when he joined Kageyama and the others and they left for the mines. He wasn't sure what time they actually arrived at the mines, but he figured it was most likely around 4 AM.

That was about... 14 hours until dawn. 14 hours until the supposed rangers were going to come up and rescue them.

He gritted his teeth. So much had happened in that short amount of time. First Asahi was found dead (probably killed by those... creatures. _Wendigos_ , right?), then the coaches went missing, then Oikawa and Iwaizumi left for the radio tower and haven't been heard from since. Then...

Yamaguchi didn't realize he was crying until a drop appeared on his hand, startling him. He blinked, reaching up to his eyes and wiping underneath them. Biting his lip, Yamaguchi covered his face with his hand and sniffled.

What about the others? The ones he came to the mines with? Kuroo, Kenma, Kageyama, Daichi, Bokuto, Akaashi...

Were they all dead? Were they looking for him? Did they leave him behind?

He wouldn't be surprised.

Yamaguchi sunk to his knees, leaning back against the desk and letting his head fall back. He tightened his fists, bringing his knees up to his chest and burying his face in his arms.

Were the others back at camp alright? Had the creatures—the Wendigos—gotten to them too? What about...

"Tsukki..." Yamaguchi sobbed, his voice strained.

He regretted ever leaving that cabin.

 

* * *

 

"Hitoka, are you alright?" Kiyoko asked, one hand on Yachi's chest and the other on the small of her back, as she slowly lifted her to a sitting position. "Y-You woke up screaming, and we had to... calm you down."

Yachi blinked a few times, her vision slowly becoming less and less blurry, and she turned her head to look at Kiyoko. "I'm... alright," she said, her voice weak and barely a whisper. "I'm, uh... in a lot of pain, though."

Kiyoko gulped. "A-ah, we are doing the best we can, but... unfortunately we don't have anything to help ease the pain."

Yachi waved her hand dismissively. "It's okay. I can power through it."

Kiyoko hesitated before smiling, running her hand through Yachi's messy hair, and looked at the bandage covering Yachi's shoulder. "I'm not going to lie to you. Your wound is pretty deep," she said, touching the bandage with the tip of her finger. "Just don't move around too much." When Yachi nodded, Kiyoko leaned in and kissed her forehead lightly. "I'll bring you some water."

"Thanks," Yachi said in a small voice as Kiyoko left the room, and she sighed.

She didn't even notice Tanaka in the room until he cleared his throat. She jolted, wincing when the movement triggered pain in her shoulder, and turned around to see the apologetic-looking Tanaka giving her a crooked grin. He had a bandage around his head, and was pressing a wet rag to his face. The rag was stained red, and Yachi assumed he had been wiping off the blood from his wound.

"...Hi," he said, waving with his free hand. "I hope you're okay." He bit his lip. "I'm sure you'll be okay."

Yachi doubted his words, but she nodded nonetheless. "What about you?" Her voice was still weak, and strained her throat. "What happened to your head?"

Tanaka shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, y'know. Monsters. They get pretty vicious." His eyes flickered down to the bandage wrapped around her. "And you?"

Yachi gulped. "Same. A... monster, um, shoved its arm through my shoulder."

Tanaka winced, as if he regretted even asking. "Oh. Ouch. I'm sorry."

She chuckled lightly, and shook her head. "Don't be. I did it to save Kiyoko-san," Yachi said, looking down at her folded hands. "If she was the one who got hurt, then... I don't think I'd be able to forgive myself for just standing around."

"You think that's how Kiyoko-san feels right now?" Tanaka asked, and Yachi blinked in confusion at him. "Well, I mean, you took the hit for her, right? If you hadn't done, well, whatever you did, she would've been the one hurt. I think that's how she feels right now."

"...Oh," Yachi mumbled softly. She frowned. "I... well..." She wasn't sure how to respond. She should've known Kiyoko would feel the same way she would've if Kiyoko was the one who got hurt instead. It was just human nature, she supposed.

Yachi finally looked Tanaka in the eyes. "What do you think I should do?"

Tanaka laughed heartily, his shoulders shaking. He even snorted. "Don't think I'm the one you should be asking."

Yachi let out a soft breath through her nose, rolling her good shoulder and shaking her head lightly with a silent giggle.

"I can see how you make her feel, though," Tanaka said, catching her attention again. When she gave him a weird look, he nudged his foot towards the door. "You make her happy, and worried."

Yachi furrowed her eyebrows. "Is... that a bad thing?"

Tanaka grinned, and Yachi flinched when the metal door opened again. Kiyoko walked in, her face illuminated from the light outside, and in her hands was a cup of water with two ice cubes in it. Yachi observed her for a moment—her face was pale, her lips were red and cracked and littered with bite marks from her own teeth, her hands were shaking as she handed the cup to Yachi.

Her hands were unnaturally cold as they wrapped Yachi's hands around the cup. "Drink this," she said softly. "It'll help." Then Kiyoko lifted her head, looking over Yachi and at Tanaka. "Do you want some too?"

Tanaka nodded. "Yeah, that'd be great." He cleared his throat as if to enunciate his dry throat.

Kiyoko nodded, and patted Yachi's hands. "I'll be back."

When she left, Yachi let go of the breath she didn't know she had been holding, and looked down into the water. The ice was slowly melting, and she lifted her good arm and downed the entire cup in one gulp.

 

* * *

 

Hinata sat in the corner of the room as Yaku and Noya chatted lightly to each other. They seemed to be engaged in each other, so he didn't dare interrupt and instead settled himself with anxiously picking at his nails. His thoughts were scattered—shifting from Kageyama to everyone else outside the apparent safety of the camp. His mind couldn't focus on one thing, and every thought he had soon blurred into white noise, and he sighed.

Kiyoko brushed by him with a cup of water in her hand (even though she had just left before to go get one), and she wandered back into the room where Yachi and Tanaka were. He wondered if they were okay—they both had taken pretty hard hits.

He was broken out of his thoughts by a pair of screeches coming from outside. Immediately, he was on his feet, and he looked over at Noya and Yaku to see them also in a panic. The two were already running outside, and Hinata was about to follow when Tanaka hobbled out the door.

He threw his hand back. "Stay inside!" he yelled without thinking, and ran outside without hesitation. He didn't stop to see if Tanaka had actually heeded his words, but he figured that Tanaka would have enough sense to keep the girls safe. In the back of his mind, he idly wondered where Suga and Tsukishima and all the others were, but his focus was on finding out where the screeches were coming from and if the camp was actually a safe haven.

When he turned around the lodge to get to the cabins, all his questions were immediately answered.

Three monsters, all different in some shape or form, launched themselves around the cabins left and right, claws ripping across snow and teeth bared in terrifying snarls. They leaped from building to building with incredible speed, milky white eyes that almost matched the snow darting around in search of their next victim, or even meal.

Screams met Hinata's ears. People running around, darting into cabins in an attempt to keep themselves safe. Others were shaking and hiding behind random objects. Some were pulling their friends back, risking their own lives to save others.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hinata saw Suga pulling Tsukishima away from the grip of one of the monsters. The taller hobbled into the other's arms, steadying himself with his shoulder as the two clambered to safety. The monster was trying to keep up with them, but Suga rushed into one of the cabins and shoved something in front of the door, leaving the monster confused and angry as it tried to break it down.

He looked over to the other side, seeing Noya and Yaku trying to revive a fallen player who was lying lifelessly in the snow, the white around them stained with red and growing even as Noya tried his best to rescue them.

The two other monsters were screeching and howling and snarling, and Hinata couldn't move. His legs were frozen like ice, his feet stuck to the ground, and he couldn't move for once in his life. And he just watched. Watched with the desire to have enough strength and power to take all the monsters down and save everyone. Watched with the fear that he could be next. Watched with the vision of everyone he loved behind murdered around him, until he was the only one left.

Watched as people around him were killed left and right.

Teeth dug into skin. Claws wrapped around bodies. Tall, disfigured creatures grabbed his fellow volleyball players and pulled them into the bushes to never return as they screamed and cried and dug their hands into the snow, only to leave tracks.

Something battered against his shoulder.

Hinata jolted, stumbling to the ground in shock, and turned around, breathless. The snow was being stained with red—but where was it coming from? Was it him? Had he been hit? But, why couldn't he feel anythi—

He stopped.

It was like the entire universe held its breath. Everything stopped. Nothing was moving. Noise drowned out in Hinata's ears and bile rose to his throat. His stomach flipped and twisted and his heart was pounding in his chest as he stared with wide eyes at the thing lying in front of him.

Ennoshita's dismembered head.

Hinata didn't even get the chance to scream before a set of claws grabbed him by the legs and dragged him away.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i... have no excuse on why this is a month late
> 
> (warning on gore for some parts of the chapter. its not THAT graphic but.... still)

His world was spinning. His stomach was flipping. His chest was constricting.

Invisible arms wrapped around him like claws, dragging along his skin in ghostly whispers and dirty nails tearing at his flesh. It was cold and hot at the same time, taunting him. Torturing him. Blurs of white and black dashed by his eyes, disappearing in a flash. For a second, he didn't know what was going on. For a moment, everything was tranquil. The world had stopped moving.

But then that moment ended.

Tsukishima felt himself being gripped from behind and pulled away. The monster hissed at him, and he opened his mouth to yell, but then a warm hand curled around and effectively slapped over his lips to keep him from making a sound. For a few moments, the monster looked confused, and it whirled its head around with high-pitched shrieks and calls echoing from its jaw. Then it darted past him, and Tsukishima broke away from the person holding him in a panic.

Suga gave him a startled look, and Tsukishima saw his shoulders tense. "I'm sorry," he said, and his voice was shaky, "if I scared you, but... you were going to die."

Tsukishima took a deep breath, absently noting the way his breath fogged in the air from the cold. He just gave a small nod towards him, swallowing down the lump in his throat. He felt like vomiting, but now wasn't the time. He had time for that later.

He had the sense of mind to notice another monster charging towards them. In a flash, Suga grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him into the nearest cabin. The monster's claw managed to grip onto Suga's jacket, but Tsukishima slammed the door shut. The monster hissed at the collision, jerking its hand back, and, in a split second, Suga grabbed onto the desk and swiped everything off with his arm. Glass shattered onto the ground and papers flew everywhere, but Suga ignored all of it and instead shoved the desk against the door with a surprising amount of force. Tsukishima blinked, and then shook his head to clear his mind and shoved his shoulder against the desk to keep it grounded on the door.

The monster slammed itself against the other side, nearly knocking Tsukishima and Suga over with how powerful it was. But they kept their feet grounded on the floor; Tsukishima's arms began to hurt from how hard the wood of the desk was digging into him, Suga's hands were cramping up. The monster pushed a few more times, and Suga's feet were slipping backwards. The screaming and inhuman shrieking from outside was almost deafening, and Suga grit his teeth as he tried to block it all out.

Suddenly, the slamming stopped, and Suga loosened his jaw slowly. He glanced up, taking note of Tsukishima's conflicted face—it was like he was desperately trying to keep himself composed, but the twitching of his brows and the shaking of his fingers gave him away. Suga let his weight fall from the desk, keeping it from falling over him. Tsukishima helped him set it back down, and then he let out a slow breath.

His breath caught in his throat when another slam battered the door open and sent them both flying. Tsukishima fell on his back, his hand landing in the pile of glass shards. His eyes widened, biting down on his tongue and groaning. His hand shook as he lifted it to look at the damage—four glasses shards had jabbed into his palm, blood spilling over his fingers and dripping on the ground. He couldn't see where Suga had went, and when he lifted his head, the monster snarled right in his face. He blinked widely, clenching his uninjured hand and pressing himself back onto the ground. Ignoring the pain searing through his body, he maintained uncomfortable eye contact with the monster growling and sniffing above him.

The monster was incredibly ugly and disgusting; blood stained its teeth and its gums were blackening. Its ragged breath fanned across his face, and he resisted the urge to scowl and wrinkle his nose from the scent.

He had heard Yachi had come face-to-face with one of the monsters, and it ended up in her nearly getting her arm ripped off. Was this how she felt? Tsukishima only felt numb, but his heart raced with anticipation.

The monster crawled over him, disappearing into one of the side rooms of the cabin. Tsukishima took a moment to catch his breath, then he heard a faint _psst_ and turned his head to the side towards the source of the sound. Suga sat there, hiding underneath one of the beds. He pressed a finger to his lips, and then pointed towards the open door. _Run_ , he mouthed, eyes wide.

So Tsukishima didn't hesitate.

As soon as he clambered to his feet, he heard the monster hiss at him, but it didn't stop him from getting the hell out of there. He nearly tripped over his own feet, gripping on his wrist and clenching his jaw at the pain spreading through his arm, but trudged forward. His legs felt like lead, his arms felt weightless. His head was spinning and wow, now he was really going to vomit.

Out of the corner of his eye he _could_ see people being dragged away, and the sounds of screams and shrieks were drowned out by the ringing in his ears. He wondered if Suga was okay. He wondered if his team was okay. He even dared to wonder if _Kuroo_ was okay—

He stopped.

He had let Yamaguchi go alone. He had let him _leave_.

Yamaguchi could be _dead_.

And Yamaguchi's last words to him were telling him to _shut up_.

He felt like doubling over and screaming. He felt like punching anything he could find. He felt like taking one of those monsters by the neck and strangling it until its eyes popped out of its head and it begged and _begged_ just to breathe. He felt like dying.

And when he felt his legs crumple beneath him and his head hit the ground, he wondered if he really was.

 

* * *

 

Bokuto's eyes were dark as he stomped, fists clenched at his sides. Akaashi was tempted to reach out and comfort him, but he took a deep breath and instead decided to just keep walking by his side. It was best to let him sort it out for himself in his mind than try and turn it around; his mood swings got a bit intense at times.

Kageyama continued to trail at the back, staring down at his feet and playing idly with his hands. He looked worried, really worried, and in the back of his mind, Akaashi wondered if the excitable redhead he was usually with was alright.

Akaashi glanced up at Daichi and Kuroo, who were chatting quietly and looking over the journal Daichi had fished from the lodge. He narrowed his eyes; something was incredibly off about how he just randomly decided to take a journal that listed ways to survive against the monsters trying to kill them. Kenma didn't look any different, but Akaashi noticed how his arms and fingers would occasionally twitch in Kuroo's direction.

He took a deep breath, pulling at the front of his shirt. His jacket was beginning to get stuffy, so he unzipped it, rolling his shoulders to try and relieve some of the tension building up. His limbs were cramping up, and he stretched his arms above his head to try and distract himself. His chest was getting tight, and his binder was pressing a bit too snugly against his body, but he tried to ignore it and crossed his arms.

Bokuto seemed to be on him in an instant. He leaned over, his nose nearly brushing Akaashi's cheek. Akaashi resisted the urge to jerk backwards, and his arms tightened around himself as Bokuto eyed him up and down. His staring was intrusive, and uncomfortable, and Akaashi was about to tell him off when Bokuto grabbed onto his shoulder gently.

"You should take your binder off," he said seriously.

Akaashi sighed, turning his head. He made a point of glancing all around him, and then shrugged. "This isn't exactly the time and place, Bokuto-san."

Bokuto frowned. "It's not safe."

Akaashi scoffed, "Does _any_ of this look _safe_ to you?" He was losing his composure, he could feel it, so he took a deep breath and quietly rubbed his hands together.

"...Maybe not," Bokuto slowly said, and his grip on Akaashi's shoulder loosened slightly. "But that doesn't mean you can't be even just a little bit safer." His warm fingers trailed down Akaashi's arm, and even if his skin was covered by the barrier of clothing, his touch made him have to repress a shiver. "Keeping your binder on for too long can cause a lot of problems, you know."

Akaashi broke his eyes away from Bokuto's hand, and he glared up at the other. "Of course I know. I'm the one _wearing_ it."

Bokuto's hand slipped into Akaashi's. "I'm sorry," Bokuto apologized, and squeezed Akaashi's hand lightly, "but I just get worried about you. I like you a lot, remember?"

The other swallowed, feeling the back of his ears reddening. He nodded, but didn't break his gaze. "Yeah. I remember."

Bokuto let himself smile, all traces of his previous anger wiped away as if it never even happened. "Once we get out of here, you can tell me your answer." He pulled Akaashi forward, tracing his thumb over his hand as he moved them so they were closer to the other three in the front. "Everything is gonna be okay."

Akaashi felt doubt in his voice, but didn't comment on it. He ignored the thumping of his chest, the twitching of his nose, and instead focused his gaze on Bokuto's clammy hand gripping his own. He wondered if he had grabbed his hand because he was scared, and not to comfort Akaashi. But Akaashi was probably as equally as terrified as him; he was just better at controlling his emotions.

He took a deep breath and scratched at his nose, using his hand to slightly muffle his next words. "I probably like you too. I don't know yet."

If Bokuto could hear him, he didn't say anything. Out of the corner of Akaashi's eyes, he could see Bokuto's calm smile twitch upwards.

Kageyama glanced up at the two, his eyes trailing to their conjoined hands. He frowned slightly, forcing himself to plant his hands firmly at his sides. Images danced by his mind, consisting of worst-case scenarios and multitudes of dramatic death scenes. He cursed his own mind, and dug his fingernails into his palms. Was the lodge safe? Was everyone back at the lodge alright? Something in the back of his mind told him that he should be more focused on trying to find Yamaguchi, but another, more selfish side of him wanted to know if Hinata was alright.

The area they were in was getting progressively brighter and brighter, and there was shadows of flickering on the ground. Kageyama blinked, and looked up, seeing that Daichi, Kuroo, and Kenma had stopped in place and were staring upwards. Bokuto and Akaashi didn't seem to notice them halted, lost in each other, and they nearly collided with the three before Bokuto pulled them both back.

Kageyama was almost afraid to step forward and see what all the fuss was about. He looked at their faces first—took note of how pale they were—and then hesitantly followed their eyes to see what they were staring at.

Cages.

Rows of cages, some strung up to the ceiling by rusted chains ready to snap, some empty and some not. Something started to screech and scratch at metal with sharp claws and a myriad of other screeches followed.

Kenma threw his hands over his ears.

Monsters. _Wendigos_. Trapped in cages and screaming. The sight made Kageyama want to vomit. He hunched over, throwing a hand over his mouth and one over his stomach. Maybe he really _was_ going to.

Kuroo pulled Kenma a little closer, placing his hands over Kenma's as if to provide extra protection. He frowned at how Kenma's hands were shaking, and took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"They're in cages," Daichi said lowly. "I'm... pretty sure they're locked."

"Do you think the same person who wrote the journal also locked them in here?" Kuroo asked in a whisper, even though he knew the wendigos knew they were there.

Daichi nodded. "Yeah, probably. In one of the entries, it says how the person locked them in cages."

Kuroo pursed his lips. "Is there a way to get around them?" He turned his head, trying to glance past the cages piled over each other, but all he saw was darkness. He frowned.

"There's a door past all of them," Akaashi said quietly, lifting his arm to point at the door directly across from them.

The others blanched as they followed his eyes. To get to it, they would have to maneuver past every single cage. Some of the cages were placed far too close to each other, and if someone got grabbed...

"We should move one at a time," Bokuto piped, whipping his head around as he tried to look for any other cages that might've been hidden somewhere.

"I'll go first," Kageyama automatically said, his body moving on its own. His mind was blank as he moved past the others and ignored their stunned faces.

His hands were twitchy and his legs felt like lead as he moved forward, trudging towards the screaming wendigos and clanging and scratching metal. It grated on his ears, making his end hairs stand on end and his entire body go pale. His stomach was flipping as his eyes settled on the closest monster. It was shackled inside the cage by the neck, leaning as far as it could towards him. It stuck its mouth out between the blood-stained bars, not quite exactly able to stick its entire head out. It snarled, baring its teeth, and Kageyama had to cover his nose once he saw the flesh hanging in its teeth.

He rushed by it, stalking away from other ones who were sticking their arms out towards him. He had to duck to avoid one swing, and the nails of the monster's claws struck his hand and drew blood. He hissed, stopping himself before he brought his lip to the cut. What if wendigo injuries caused infection—how did these things even end up as these things, anyway?

Kageyama swallowed, rolled his shoulders, and moved forward.

After Kageyama had disappeared behind one cage, Kenma decided to go next. He moved forward before Kuroo could stop him, feeling the hold on his hands slip away once he managed to get out of his grip. He heard Kuroo whisper-yelling his name, but he grimaced and ignored it. Instead he hugged himself, taking a deep breath, and moved forward.

The wendigos seemed to ignore him more than they did Kageyama, but he supposed it was his lack of a presence and how slow he was moving. He had to move quickly to avoid swipes of claws and sudden shaking of cages, but once he saw Kageyama struggling to open the door, he ran forward without caring how visible he was.

Kuroo didn't hesitate to go next, shoving aside Daichi with more force than he meant to, practically speed-walking past the wendigos. He completely ignored them and their snarling, only stopping occasionally to wait for a set of claws to disappear so he could pass by safely. Once he managed to get up to Kenma, he grabbed him by the arms and gave him a hard stare.

"Why didn't you let me go first!?" he practically yelled, but tried to keep his voice down.

Kenma frowned, narrowing his eyes. He ripped his arms away from Kuroo's grip. "I'm not _helpless_ ," he muttered, and turned so he could help Kageyama open the door.

Kuroo opened his mouth to say something else, but all that came out was dead air. He turned his back to them, folding his arms across his chest and pouting childishly. He silently watched with a grave expression as Bokuto went next. He was quick, skipping past the wendigos before they even had a chance to look at him. Akaashi followed, walking much slower than the others. He seemed more on edge, glancing all around him, with his arms wrapped tightly around his chest.

Kuroo narrowed his eyes at him, his eyes lingering on the way Akaashi would tug at the torso of his shirt every so often.

Once Akaashi made it over, he almost stumbled into Bokuto's arms. The latter steadied him, giving him a look of concern as Akaashi groaned and slumped against him. His breathing sounded quick and forced, and Bokuto and Akaashi broke off a little bit from the others to talk in private.

Kuroo looked over at Daichi, who was giving the path a dreadful stare. Sweat rolled down his chin.

There was a sudden large slam behind him, and Kuroo whirled around in fright to see a sheepish Kageyama and a surprised Kenma fling the metal door open. Kageyama leaned forward to peer inside, taking a step forward cautiously. Kenma held onto the back of his jacket just in case, and after a while, Kageyama pulled back and gave the others a light shrug.

Kuroo let out a slow sigh and turned back towards Daichi's direction, who was nearly halfway there. He was stepping slowly, hesitating before each step. His hands were firmly in his jacket pockets, his breath coming out in slow, steady rhythms. There was a faint clanging sound, and for a second Kuroo thought it was Kageyama, so he turned around. But everyone was watching and waiting for Daichi to make it, nowhere near the door. He blinked a few times, confused, and when he heard the noise a second time, he looked up.

One of the cages being hung up to the ceiling by a chain was shaking, and then suddenly the door to it shot wide open. Something small flew from the door, landing far away with an almost silent clatter.

Kuroo assumed it was the lock.

His eyes were wide, fists clenched at his sides. The cage rocked a few times, as if testing the waters; then a shadowed, slender figure came crawling out of it. It hopped to one side of the cavern wall at the speed of lightning, so quick Kuroo almost didn't see it move. Then it snarled, whipping its head around until it stopped on Daichi's moving figure. Daichi didn't seem to notice the creature eyeing him, and continued to trudge forward nervously.

Kuroo's eye went wide as the creature began to peer inwards, jumping down the cavern and landing on the ground. It took a step forward, and then lunged with a powerful shriek.

The other wendigos went wild. Daichi stopped, whirling around in panic, and Kuroo pushed the others towards the door before bounding forward to grab onto Daichi. The freed monster was closing in quickly, and the other wendigos were thrashing and trying to pull apart the bars at any cost. For a split second, it almost looked like they would break free.

Kuroo pulled on Daichi's jacket so suddenly he could've ripped it. Daichi turned to him with wide eyes, stumbling into him and accidentally knocking their heads together. For a few moments, everything was blurry and spinning, but Kuroo grunted and forced himself to start running. He held onto Daichi's wrist, not daring to glance behind him. The shrieks gave him all the information he needed on how close the monster was.

Kenma was yelling something at him, but his voice was overpowered by the wendigos. Kuroo was close enough; he could see the shaking of Kenma's hands—or, wait, he was seeing two pairs of Kenma's hands and... two pairs of everything. Was he even seeing anything right?

Kuroo dared to look behind him.

The wendigo's claws were just barely hovering over Daichi's back.

Feeling a sudden wave of adrenaline come over him, Kuroo focused his vision even for just a few moments and threw Daichi through the door. Just as the wendigo screeched in his ear, Kuroo let out a yelp and slammed the door shut behind him. He didn't have the chance to lock it before the wendigo banged against it, the impact force sending him falling backwards. He stumbled onto his back, eyes wide with surprise and body quaking. He couldn't move or think or breathe for a minute or two, and then the banging ended; only the muffled shrieks of the trapped wendigos filled their ears.

There was a hand in front of him. Kuroo blinked a few times, taking a deep breath and glancing upwards to see Kenma's golden eyes glazing with worry. He hesitated before taking his hand, feeling his fingers shaking just as much as his own. Kenma struggled with helping Kuroo up, but once he was back on his feet, he looked up at him with a soft expression.

Their hands were still linked together.

Kuroo's eyes flickered from their conjoined hands, to Kenma's lips, and then back up to his eyes. Kenma's breathing was slow, his chest rising and falling in a strange pattern. Kuroo watched as Kenma's mouth parted, his dry lips sliding together for a moment as he thought about what he was going to say.

He didn't hear it when he said something, and had to ask again.

Kenma frowned a bit more. "I asked if you're okay."

Kuroo forced out a breathy laugh, putting one hand on his hip, feeling his other hand begin to sweat in Kenma's grip. "Well," he said slowly, turning his head to the side and licking his lips, "I've been better."

Kenma chewed on a piece of dead skin on his lips, and nodded in agreement.

Kuroo looked down at their hands, turned red, and quickly drew his hand back. His heart raced and his body rose in temperature from embarrassment as he turned away quickly. For a second he thought he could see Kenma's expression shift from sympathy to disappointment, but he turned too fast to get a good look.

To distract himself from the tingling in his hand, he walked over to Daichi, who was holding Kageyama by the shoulders and whispering something to him. Once he saw Kuroo walking up, Daichi said one final thing and walked away from Kageyama. Before stepping to the side with Daichi, Kuroo took one look at Kageyama over Daichi's shoulder—his body was wracking with invisible sobs; Kuroo felt bad for him.

"You alright?" Kuroo asked, taking note at how the back of Daichi's jacket was torn up.

Daichi turned, pulling part of his jacket in front of him to stare at it. He blinked, opened his mouth, but all that came out was a sigh. "Yeah. I'm alright. I'm _alive_."

Kuroo breathed out a laugh. "Yeah, that's true." His gaze flickered over to Kageyama, who had his back turned to the rest of the group. "Is he okay?"

Daichi whirled around to see who he was talking about, and then clicked his tongue softly in concern (if that was even possible). "Well... I don't think so." He crossed his arms, fidgeting his feet. "I've never seen him this upset before."

"Where's the little shrimp he's always with?"

"The camp," Daichi replied. And then stopped for a moment. "I hope," he added.

Kuroo bit the inside of his cheek. He wondered if everyone back at camp was okay.

 

* * *

 

This time, it was Daichi straying behind the rest.

He got so caught up in the journal that he didn't notice the rest of the group going ahead without him, and when he looked up, he only saw the fading figure of Kageyama turning the corner.

Daichi blinked, his mind blank for a moment, and then he quickly pocketed the journal before picking up his pace. Except when he turned the corner he saw nobody, not even a shadow. Not a trace.

He stared into the empty space for what seemed like hours until he finally took a few steps back, his hands curling into fists. He breathed out slowly through his nose, swallowing down the lump in his throat. He opened his mouth to call out his friends' names, but then stopped just before his voice left his lips.

That would be a bad idea. A very, very bad idea. What if he called out and the wendigo heard and came after him? Or they found the others first? Or—

" _DAICHI!_ "

His entire body froze. Immediately, and without hesitation, he used his hands to cup around his mouth and yelled—

"SUGA!?"

—which, admittedly, was a bad idea.

Another scream echoed off the cavern walls. It was Suga. Daichi's head was pounding and his heart was racing as he followed the screams and shouts of his name, each one getting more and more progressively sobbed and choked.

What was Suga doing in the mines? What happened to the others? Why wasn't he still at the lodge? Had he gone after him?

Logical questions slipped by him—his mind was blank, filled with nothing but _Suga, Suga, Suga_.

The screams were getting louder, and Daichi didn't even know where he was going. He didn't know where he was, where the others were, or where he was going. Sweat was rolling down his chin and as the screams shifted to sobs, his eyes were blurring with tears. What if the monsters had gotten to him?

Daichi didn't know what he would do without Suga.

Suddenly, he stopped once the screams came to an abrupt halt. He was in a room lit only by a few torches, looking recently lit. He squinted at them suspiciously, lowering his voice to a whisper as he called out, "Suga? Are you in here?"

There was no response. Daichi's throat was beginning to get tight, his stomach twisting. His heart was beating so loud that he was sure anyone would be able to hear it from miles away. He tried again, a bit louder, "Suga!"

Nothing.

Daichi let out a slow breath, balling his fists, and biting his lip. Was he too late?

Suddenly, there was a slam against the ground. Daichi flinched, jumping back, and pressed himself against the wall. The source had been a strange, wooden door on the ground, a clasp around a lock, securing it. The slam had been so quick and sudden that it didn't even feel real, and Daichi rubbed his sweaty palms onto his jeans. He took a step forward cautiously, letting out another few whisper-yells of _Suga? Suga, can you hear me?_ and waiting vacantly for a response of any kind.

There was dead silence, the air suddenly going thick. Daichi's hands were shaking as his fingers brushed the clasp. He flicked it open, stepping backwards cautiously. The effort seemed useless until the hatch slammed open hard enough to send it flying and suddenly there were hands on his neck and twisting and—

Daichi's head popped cleanly off his body, rolling to the other side of the room. Blood spilled from his neck, his body falling limp on the ground and the journal scattering out of his pocket. It slid away and clattered to the side, deeper and deeper into darkness.

The wendigo growled deep in its throat as it dug its claws into Daichi's neck, ripping the skin and tearing the flesh away seemingly for no reason. As if for fun. It ripped his clothes in the front, and then let his body fall lifelessly to the ground, where it clattered and popped with a disgusting squishing sound. Blood was everywhere. On the wendigo's claws, on Daichi's clothes, on the ground, on his head.

The wendigo grabbed Daichi's body by his ankles and began dragging him away, his wide-eyed head being left behind.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> daichi is deadchi and so am i


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is shorter than i wanted it to be but oh well

Yamaguchi didn't realize he had fallen asleep until he opened his eyes. His muscles were cramping up, so he stretched his limbs out and groaned. His head was pounding, and his eyes were hot and dry. His eyes suddenly went wide, remembering the lantern. Whirling around, he saw it flickering beside him—it hadn't died down very much. Yamaguchi sighed in relief. He couldn't have been asleep for very long.

Standing up, he shook his foot one by one to wake it up, and picked up the lantern. The handle was cold.

For a moment, he wondered what his first action should be. Should he try to look for the others? Should he try to find his way out?

He was so lost in thought he didn't realize where he was going, and it wasn't until after he ran into a wall that he realized that the room was slowly getting brighter. It was just enough for him to see without the lantern, but nonetheless, he held up the lantern and squinted to see better. The walls and floor looked like they were made of some kind of marble, and when Yamaguchi moved forward, the cracks in the floor started to shake.

It was unsteady. It could break at any moment.

The faintest whisper of a cry brushed his ears, and Yamaguchi whirled around with a startled gasp. "Hello!?" he called out, and immediately regretted it. There was no reply—the only thing meeting him was dead silence, and the sound of his own heavy breathing. He panted, wrapping his arm around himself and digging his nails into his jacket sleeve.

The ambiance was beginning to make his heart race, and he swallowed thickly. His legs were shaking and his knees felt like they were going to give out at any moment. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to keep strong and followed the side of the room where it was getting brighter. There was a crooked wooden door, with a broken window, on that side. When he walked up to it, he yanked on the doorknob, but to no avail. Frowning, he tried to peer inside through the window, but only saw darkness.

Yamaguchi reached in through the window, standing on his toes. He felt around for the other side, trying to avoid cutting his skin with the glass shards. Once his fingers finally brushed the other side, he turned it and clicked it open. Once it started to push inside, he pulled his hand out—but not without slipping and accidentally dragging his palm against the glass. He hissed sharply, reeling back, and gripped his wrist. Gritting his teeth, he clenched his fist and tried to ignore the stinging and trail of blood. Wiping his palm on his jeans, he tucked his hand underneath his armpit and pushed the door open.

Inside was a strange-looking room, lined with things that looked similar to traps. Most looked inactive, but he didn't dare to venture towards either of them. Taking out his knife, he cautiously stepped forward and looked around. Yamaguchi exhaled shakily, feeling his shoulders tremble. He could hear a faint cry of wind, and turned around fully to see where it was coming from—it must mean he was near the exit.

 _But the others_ , his mind cruelly reminded, and he grit his teeth. They could've gotten out by now, right? And there were the others back at the lodge.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts, and ran out of the room filled with traps.

The next room was even more ominous than the other. Its sides were covered by a chain link fence, and there were barrels propped up against the door. The sound of wind became stronger as he walked towards the barrels, and when he tried to peek through the window of the door, all he saw was white. Frowning, he pushed aside the barrels, but stumbled clumsily and accidentally knocked one over. Oil poured out of the side, and Yamaguchi winced. He turned back towards the door, pressed his shoulder against it, and pushed.

It didn't budge.

Looking down, Yamaguchi parted his lips in a soft, exasperated sigh. The door was locked with a thick, rusted bolt. He frowned, pulling his knife in front of him, and stuck the tip into the lock. He fumbled around a bit, but to no avail. After a few moments, he set down the lantern, positioning it so its light was still illuminating the door, and stabbed his knife against the lock. It shook, echoing an uncomfortable scraping sound, but he tensed and ignored it and continued battering and stabbing the lock until it crumpled on the ground. Yamaguchi put his knife back, shoved himself against the door, and forced it open.

Cold air blasted him, nearly making his fall backwards. He threw his arms up to shield his face, and nearly felt like crying in relief.

As he stared at the outside, he couldn't help but wonder where the hell he was. Hadn't he fallen _down_?

Yamaguchi turned, reaching to pick up the lantern, but his movement accidentally caused him to kick it over. He blanched as it rolled, directly in the middle of the oil spill.

He didn't even have time to gasp when the explosion hit him at full force.

It sent him flying outside, the snow temporarily blinding his eyes. Yamaguchi coughed, skidding back against the snow, and flipped over the edge of the cliff. He panicked, trying to reach for the top, but his fingers slipped and he was falling down. His body collided with seemingly every obstacle on the way down, and he knew he was bleeding even before hitting the ground. It felt like hours before he finally hit the ground, his head pounding. He could see blood filling the white around him, and he inhaled shakily. Yamaguchi tried to get up, but his arms gave out underneath him, and he slumped back against the ground. The wind blew through his hair and the cold bit at his skin as his eyes began to close.

He tried to force himself to stay awake, but the pain blossoming through his body was beginning to numb and he felt consciousnesses leaking out of him. So, he passed out.

 

* * *

 

"Shit, shit, shit, _shit_!"

"Oi, Noya!"

"WHAT!?" the boy in question yelled, whirling around to face his friend. His eyes were ablaze, hair in a mess, hands coated in blood—not his own.

"Calm down," Tanaka said breathlessly, putting his hands on the other's shoulders. "There was nothing you could've done."

" _Yes_ there _was_!" Noya protested, breaking free of his grip and shoving him away. He gestured to Yaku, who was attending to Yachi along with Kiyoko. "If we had just gotten there even a _little_ bit sooner, we would've been able to save him!"

"What's done is done," Tanaka said firmly, narrowing his eyes. "You need to chill the _fuck_ out, or you're gonna give me, yourself, and _everyone_ else here a panic attack."

Noya huffed angrily, seething, and turned away from Tanaka. He crossed his arms, stomping to the other corner of the room and slumping down the wall. Once his face was out of sight, his angry expression morphed to hopelessness, and he tucked his knees to his chest, burying his face in them.

"She's lost too much blood," Yaku said, glancing over at Kiyoko. "She needs medical help immediately."

"Do you think Iwaizumi-san and Oikawa-san made it to the radio tower?" Kiyoko mumbled, looking down at her trembling fingers. "Do you think they contacted the rangers?"

Yaku bit the inside of his cheek. "I'm... sure they did." He sounded unsure himself, and he cursed himself internally when Kiyoko's face fell slightly. "They might come earlier than dawn," he tried, but Kiyoko wasn't really paying attention anymore.

"Why _dawn_?" Tanaka scoffed, throwing his hands in the air. "And _tomorrow_ , no less! Why not during the _fucking day_!?"

"Tanaka-san—"

"That's an entire fucking _day_! And look at all the shit that's happened in just _one_ night!"

"Tanaka-san," Kiyoko said more firmly, giving the other a hard glare, and he shut up immediately, "there must be a reason why the rangers are making us wait so long. Perhaps they have other obligations that make it impossible to come get us efficiently."

"Yeah, well, we have other _obligations_ too!" he mocked, pulling at his skin and shouting, "Can't they just come get us one at a time if they don't have enough!? It'd save us a _lot_ of trouble, and maybe all of us won't fucking _die_ —"

" _Stop!_ " Yachi suddenly yelled, squeezing her eyes shut and clenching her fists. She let out a quiet sigh, hanging her head. "Just... stop. Please."

Tanaka opened his mouth, and then balled his fists at his sides, turning away. "...I'm sorry."

It was quiet for a long time. Yaku glanced over at Noya, who was still curled in on himself. He gritted his teeth, and clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. He could feel the dirt and dried blood under his nails, and refused to look at them in fear of spiraling out of control. His mind decided to be as cruel as ever.

 

* * *

 

_"_ _He's not waking up!" Noya gasped desperately, pushing on the player's chest, hot tears streaming down his cheeks._

_Yaku's breathing was shakily, his hands fumbling and twitching as he tried to wrap up the fallen player's wound. His hands and arms were soaked in blood, and he felt like he was going to vomit. He tried to block out the screams and cries of his friends and the shrieks of the monsters killing them, but his mind kept focusing on death. When he looked up, he saw someone be ripped apart. He let out a choked sob, hanging his head, desperately trying to wake up the person who was probably dead beneath him._

_Noya was yelling something at him, but his ears were stuffed with emptiness, and the sound of blood pounding in his mind replaced everything else. It wasn't until Noya shook him that he finally managed to pay attention._

_"We have to get inside!" he gasped over the screams._

_Yaku blinked, drinking in his words for longer than he needed too, and nodded._

_Noya jumped to his feet, forcing his head away from the dead player they had been attending too, and when a scream rather close to them caught their attention, they both looked up._

_"Shouyou!" Noya screamed just as Hinata was grabbed by the legs and dragged away. A fallen head was left behind, and Noya's eyes widened once he realized whose exactly it was. He tugged on his hair, skipping backwards until his back hit the side of the house._

_Yaku put his hands on his wrists, trying to pull him inside, but Noya was shaking his head and weeping. He cursed under his breath, looking around frantically for somewhere to hide. They were so exposed, a monster could just waltz up at any time and kill both of them—_

_"In here!" a voice called._

_Yachi had her hand extended. Her face was pale and she looked as weak as ever, but the determined glint in her eyes overpowered all of that. Yaku wrapped his arm around Noya's waist, forcing him closer, and grabbed onto Yachi's hand. She ran, and then turned suddenly into the lodge. Noya was still mumbling to himself, covering his eyes, and he fell onto the ground once they managed to get inside. Yaku and Yachi both grabbed onto him and dragged him inside._

_Kiyoko and Tanaka ran up, helping them push Noya against the wall and steady him._

_"What do we do?" Tanaka asked, breathless._

_"There's others out there," Yachi replied, walking back towards the door. She groaned, leaning against the doorway and biting her lip. "I'll go."_

_"No, wait—" Kiyoko protested, running towards her, but Yachi vanished outside before Kiyoko could reach her. Kiyoko gasped softly, and tried to follow her, but Tanaka grabbed her and pulled her back._

_"They'll get you too," he said softly, as if in awe. His gaze was fixed on the door._

_Kiyoko broke free of his grip. "She's injured!" she cried. "We have to get her back here!"_

_Tanaka shook his head, and Kiyoko let out an uncharacteristic huff. She clenched her fists, slumping on the floor on the steps, and buried her face in her hands. Anxiety overtook her, making her chest tight and her heart race. Biting her lip, she tried to keep herself from crying._

_After what seemed like forever, a figure stumbled in, panting heavily and tripping over their own feet. It was Yachi, struggling to hold up a much taller figure. Kiyoko gasped, jumping up, and let Yachi collapse into her chest while Tanaka and Yaku attended to the one she just brought in._

_It was Tsukishima._

_One of his hands was struck with glass shards and covered in blood, his glasses were cracked, and one of his ankles was twisted in a way it probably shouldn't be. Kiyoko glanced between him and Yachi, and then let out a frustrated huff._

_"You two attend to Tsukishima-san," she ordered, and wrapped one of Yachi's arms around her shoulders to support her, "and I'll watch over Hitoka-chan."_

_Yaku blinked a few times, observing as Kiyoko walked over to another side of the room and embraced Yachi in a careful hug. "She really loves her, huh," he mumbled._

_Tanaka turned to where he was looking, and huffed out a laugh. "Yeah," he replied, moving to pluck each glass shard out of Tsukishima's hand. "Kinda annoys me, but oh well."_

 

* * *

 

As if on cue, Tsukishima made a soft groan and sat up from his place on the floor. He glanced down at his wrapped up hand, and adjusted his glasses. "Could you be any louder?" he sighed.

Tanaka threw his hands in the air. " _Well_ , at least we know Tsukishima is alright," he scoffed.

Tsukishima rolled his eyes in reply, shifting and leaning against the wall. He looked at the curled-up Noya, and the rest, and then raised an eyebrow. "What the hell happened?"

"Fuckin' bastards," Tanaka seethed, and then jabbed an angry at the door. "Those _goddamn_ monsters showed up and wrecked _everything_. They _killed_ so many people, destroyed... _everything_..." He put his hand to his forehead, biting his lip so hard he could draw blood.

Tsukishima's face suddenly went pale. He opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but decided against it and turned his head to the side.

"Yachi brought you in," Kiyoko said softly, her hand clenched tightly in Yachi's. "She went back, despite being critically injured, and risked _everything_ to save you." She swallowed, eyes glassy. "She could've been _killed_ , and she knew that, but..." Kiyoko glanced up, expression suddenly dark, and it made Tsukishima flinch. "You better be _damn_ grateful to her."

Tanaka whistled, covering his mouth with his hand in amazement. Yaku pressed his lips into a thin line.

Tsukishima glanced side to side awkwardly, looking like he wanted nothing more than to disappear at that very moment. Yachi turned her head around, looking curious, although weak.

Tsukishima coughed into his fist, "Thanks."

Kiyoko didn't look satisfied, but Yachi smiled. "You're welcome."

"What's our next move?" Noya suddenly asked, appearing next to Tanaka. His eyes were empty, his expression sullen.

Tanaka blinked, looking at Yaku and Kiyoko awkwardly, and then folded his arms over his chest. "Well... what I would suggest is getting everyone together in here," he said, watching everyone's faces for an agreeing nod. "The lodge would seem like the safest place if we hole up correctly, right?"

"What about the people in the mines?" Tsukishima asked. "Yamaguchi is in there, y'know."

"We get the people alive here and get them inside the lodge," Yaku spoke up, "and then go for the people in the mines. Sound good?"

Kiyoko pursed her lips. "Fine," she agreed, and then held up a hand, "but Hitoka and I stay here."

"Wh—" Yachi tried to protest, but Kiyoko cut her off by kissing her lips lightly. Yachi's eyes went wide when she pulled away, her face turned as red as blood.

"You're too injured to go anywhere long-distance," Kiyoko argued, letting her hand fall in the crook of Yachi's neck, fingers brushing the hairs at the back of her neck. "I'll stay here to watch over you."

"But—"

"You got _stabbed_ in the shoulder," Yaku spoke up, furrowing his eyebrows. "I think that's reason enough to stay here. Plus, we'll need someone to help calm things down for the others."

"Do you think it's safe?" Noya questioned, walking over to the door and just barely peeking outside.

They were all quiet for a moment, but the only sound there was wind and their collective breathing.

"I don't _hear_ anything," Tsukishima said, looking annoyed.

"Alright," Tanaka said. "Me and Noya will go out and round everyone up." He turned to Tsukishima and Yaku. "You two wait here. We'll leave for the mines once we have everyone in here."

"I'm going?" Tsukishima questioned, climbing to his feet, sounding confused.

Tanaka laughed, crossing his arms, and leered in towards him. "Hell yeah. I thought you'd wanna find your boyfriend, right?"

To no surprise, Tsukishima's ears went pink. "...He's not my boyfriend," he mumbled, glancing away.

" _Yet_ ," Tanaka corrected himself, and then left with Noya without waiting for Tsukishima's reply.

 

* * *

 

"How long has Sawamura been gone?" Bokuto asked.

Kuroo sighed. "...A while. Can't be sure." He let out a frustrated hiss between his teeth. "Ugh, and he had the _journal_ too."

"He might have found a way out," Akaashi suggested, trying to stay hopeful.

Kuroo gave a half-hearted shrug.

"He might have—" A sudden slam interrupted Kenma in the middle of his suggestion, and the entire group jumped back in shock. The abrupt noise sounded close by, and when Kuroo looked forward, he saw that they were standing right on the edge of a cliff. It was too dark to see how far down, and Kuroo bit his lip.

"Shit," he growled under his breath. "What the hell was that?"

"Was it one of those... monsters?" Kageyama asked softly, his voice shaky.

"If it was, we would've heard more," Akaashi said, taking a step in front of Kuroo. He knelt down, squinting and putting a hand over his eyes to try and see better. There was a small, crumpled figure on the ground down below. It was laying just underneath a hole in the ceiling, moonlight pouring in.

Upon closer inspection, Akaashi could see a small tuft of bright orange hair.

"Oh my God," he whispered under his breath, and pulled on Kenma's pant leg. "Come look at this."

Kenma gave Akaashi a strange look, but followed his lead and knelt on the ground. After a while, he managed to focus his gaze on the fallen figure on the ground. Once the moonlight gave him enough light to see, his eyes widened, and he jumped back.

"What is it?" Kuroo asked, panicked.

"...Shouyou." Kenma took a deep breath, and then looked back towards the others. "It's Shouyou."

 

* * *

 

"Oh my _fucking_ God," Kuroo gasped once they finally made it down the cliff. Hinata was laying there, hair stained with blood, skin pale, body lifeless. "You were right. It is the shrimp."

Kageyama fell to his knees beside him, body shaking. "Shit," he whispered, and carefully picked up Hinata's head so it would lay on his lap. He didn't even pay attention to the blood staining his pants. Hinata was covered head to toe in cuts and bruises.

"Is he breathing?" Bokuto asked, jumping to the other side beside Kenma.

Kageyama lowered his head to Hinata's mouth, and then to his chest. "Yeah... his heart is still beating," he replied breathlessly, sounding relieved. He looked like he was about to cry, and in all honesty, all of them were.

Hinata suddenly let out a soft groan, reaching up to rub his eyes. He shifted, clenching his jaw, and his eyes opened weakly. Kageyama felt like a weight was being lifted off his chest, and his hands shook around Hinata's body.

"Shouyou...?" Kenma asked, leaning in. His eyes were glassy. "A-Are you okay?"

Hinata looked at all of them for a few moments, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Then he opened his mouth, sat up, and put a hand on his chest.

"Well..." he said softly, voice weak, "I could _really_ go for some meat buns right about now."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> scream to me on [tumblr](http://saltyiwaizumi.tumblr.com/)


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ffu ck this is so short im sorry

_"Iwa-chan!!"_

_Hajime groaned, looking up at the nine-year old Tooru, who was curled up securely in his lame alien-print blankets on the bed. He was shaking, his face pale, braces-covered teeth chattering._

_"What is it?" he asked, trying to sound annoyed, but his worry for the other was swiftly overtaking him._

_Tooru pointed towards his closet with wide eyes. "Iwa-chan, I heard something in there!" he exclaimed, voice slightly slurred from his multi-colored braces. "It's a monster, or SOMETHING!"_

_When Hajime just gave him a deadpanned look, Tooru's pointing became more urgent._

_"Iwa-chan, go look! Fight them off! Like a knight!"_

_"A knight."_

_"Yeah! 'Cause I'm the king and you're my knight in shining armor. Now go fight them away!"_

_When Hajime realized he wouldn't give it up, he sighed, got up from his position of laying on the floor, and wandered over to the closet. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw Tooru duck underneath his blankets, and scoffed to himself as he swung the door open. Just to amuse his friend, he jumped into one of the fighting positions he saw ninjas do on television. Tooru let out a quiet gasp, and then Hajime kicked once into the empty space. There was nothing there, of course, but just for kicks, he threw two punches._

_Once he finally closed the door and leaned against it, Tooru was kneeling on top of his blankets, clapping and cheering._

_"Iwa-chan saved me! Hooray!"_

_"Ugh, shut up. You're so annoying," Hajime scolded, but with no real aggression. He smiled as he walked over to him, and sat down next to him on the bed._

_Tooru leaned forward towards him. "Iwa-chan, will you sleep with me tonight so you can fight off more monsters?"_

_Hajime snorted, breaking out into a fit of laughter. "Yeah, sure."_

 

* * *

 

Now, of all times, was a horrible time to bring up "what" they were. So Iwaizumi didn't. He just continued to glance down at Oikawa's hand in his, grip tightening every now and then.

At first, they had established themselves as simply friends-with-benefits. It worked, for a bit, but now something was different. _Feelings_ and _emotions_ got in the way of everything, and every single encounter together after that was muddled together in a weird mix of lust and what Iwaizumi dared not to describe as _love_ —

—but he's sure all these feelings were there from the start, anyhow.

But now wasn't the time.

(Or was it?—if they were going to die here, then wouldn't it be best to establish their relationship as soon as possible? To confirm their affections, to spend as many moments together as they can before their assured downfall? Iwaizumi tried to shake these thoughts away.)

"Iwa-chan," Oikawa spoke up, his voice suddenly loud in the dark caverns and startling the both of them. He turned to Iwaizumi, and beneath his eyes was a glimmer of fear. "Will you help me fight off the monsters?"

Iwaizumi opened his mouth immediately, and then let it slowly fall shut. He thought for a moment, turning until he was fully facing the other. Iwaizumi took his other hand, squeezing them both tightly. Oikawa's eyes widened slightly, ears turning pink, as Iwaizumi leaned forward until his forehead bumped against Oikawa's.

"...Of course," he grumbled out, sounding embarrassed. "I'm never gonna leave your side, got that?"

Oikawa blinked a few times, and then giggled under his breath (actually _giggled_ —what nerve, the asshole). His eyes lingered on Iwaizumi's lips for a few moments, and then went back up to his eyes. "And I'll never leave yours."

Iwaizumi narrowed his eyes. "Why do I feel you took this from one of your shitty romance dramas?"

Oikawa's giggle was louder this time. "These are my genuine feelings, Iwa-chan! You should feel flattered."

Rolling his eyes, Iwaizumi let go of his hands, and grabbed his jaw before kissing him firmly. Oikawa made a muffled, startled sound against his lips, before sighing and melting into the kiss. His hands went to Iwaizumi's shoulders, squeezing along his biceps covered by the jacket, and he tilted his head to fit his mouth better on Iwaizumi's. Leaning in, Iwaizumi moved until their bodies were pressed flush together. He was just about to grab onto Oikawa's waist when a sudden crash from not-so-far-away made Oikawa accidentally bite down on Iwaizumi's lip and jump away from him.

"That hurt, asshole!" Iwaizumi exclaimed, putting a hand to his lip and grimacing at the taste of blood.

Oikawa looked surprised, and put his hands in the air. "Ah... I'm sorry, Iwa-chan. It just scared me."

Iwaizumi sighed, dismissing it as nothing. "Ah, whatever. Don't worry about it."

Just as Oikawa was about to say something, another crash, louder this time, echoed through cavern. Oikawa gasped, stumbling into Iwaizumi, grabbing onto his arm to steady himself. The only sound following the crash was their heavy breathing.

Oikawa whipped his head all around, trying to figure out the source.

"Iwa-chan, what do we do?" he asked, obviously trying to keep his voice calm.

Iwaizumi bit his lip. "I guess... keep trying to find a way out?" When Oikawa gave him a look, he shrugged. "Well, what else can we do? I have no idea how the fuck we could try to kill those things."

"...Well, there has to be _something_."

The two walked further in silence, Oikawa never releasing his grip on Iwaizumi's arm. After a few minutes, Iwaizumi felt his face heat up. He stopped suddenly, taking Oikawa by surprise, and turned to face him.

"Oikawa... I..." he stammered.

"Iwa-chan..."

"Oikawa, I love—" He was cut off by Oikawa's hands suddenly covering his mouth. Shocked, he looked up towards the taller, who was giving him a sad smile.

"Tell me once we get out of here," Oikawa whispered, and he looked like he was going to cry. "Okay?"

Iwaizumi peeled Oikawa's hands from his mouth, but he didn't drop them. "Yeah, sure."

 

* * *

 

"Wh—how the _hell_ did you get down here!?" Kuroo exclaimed as Kageyama put one hand on the small of Hinata's back, helping him up, and Akaashi observed his injuries carefully.

Hinata swallowed, blinking a few times, and rubbed the back of his head with a grimace. "I... don't know. I-I was at the camp and then..."

It all came crashing down on him at once, and he felt like throwing up all over Kageyama. He managed to hold it down, and felt his shoulders tremble as he turned to Kuroo. Kuroo's eyes went wide once he saw the other's expression.

"What... happened?" he asked carefully. "You, uh, don't _have_ to answer if you're not—"

"Attack," Hinata said suddenly, balling his fists and forcing himself to break away from Kuroo's strong, concerned gaze. "There was an... attack. From the m-monsters."

"...On the camp," Kuroo guessed breathlessly.

Hinata nodded, and Kenma grabbed onto his hand. "Is everyone okay?" Kenma asked softly. When the other didn't respond, Kenma began to chew nervously into his lower lip, body shaking. "Are... are some people _dead_?"

"...Yeah."

"D-did... you _see_ it?" Kenma couldn't breathe. Everything was spinning.

Hinata buried his face in his palms, sniffling. He ignored the smell of blood that was prominent on his hands, and curled up. He felt Kageyama's hand tighten on his back, and automatically leaned into his touch.

"Oh my God..." Akaashi whispered, and that was it.

Kenma threw his hands away from Hinata, scooting backwards. His entire body felt hot, and his heart was racing and pounding like it was going to burst straight out of his chest. Nothing was real. It wasn't real. He wasn't here—he was home, safe, but not. Everything was dark, and his fingernails were clawing into his face and his lungs were so tight he couldn't breathe and—

His vision was filled with Kuroo.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," he whispered, hands hovering just slightly above Kenma's shoulders, not quite touching.

Kenma shook his head rapidly, feeling blood rush to his head. "N-no, K—Kuro, _no_. Th-they're _dead_ Kuro they're all go—ne," he sobbed, voice cracking.

"Shh," Kuroo shushed, wrapping his arms tight around the other and pulling his face to his chest. "Hey, no, it's alright—they're not all gone." When Kenma only began to shake harder, Kuroo pressed his lips against the top of his head and took a deep breath. "Hey, you hear that? Just listen to the sound of my heart, okay? Breathe along with me—you'll be fine."

The others watched as Kuroo and Kenma held each other, the younger trying to match his irregular breathing with the other. After a few minutes, Kenma began to slump in Kuroo's grip, and Kuroo let out a quiet sigh. He turned his head just barely to look at the others, mouthing _Let's rest a few minutes._ The others nodded in agreement, and they all took a seat on the ground.

Akaashi heaved a sigh, straightening his back, puffing out his chest slightly. He let out a tiny grunt, tugging on his shirt, and noticed Bokuto's intense stare on him. He raised an eyebrow, "What is it, Bokuto-san?"

"Your binder—you should really take it off."

Akaashi huffed, turning away.

Bokuto's voice only got firmer. "What's the matter with you, Akaashi? You're usually _super_ careful about this stuff!"

"Yeah, well..." Akaashi mumbled, trying to shrug the matter away, but he knew Bokuto was smarter than that.

Bokuto was scooting closer now, one of his hands coming to rest on Akaashi's back, and Akaashi bit his lip. He could feel the heat from Bokuto's palm, even through the layers of clothes, and he glanced up at the other hesitantly.

"Please take it off, Akaashi." His voice was serious now, void of all joking undertones and loud, boisterous exclamations. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Akaashi bit his tongue, turning his head away and trying to ignore how Bokuto's face was getting closer and closer. He could feel Bokuto's breath tickling his ear and jaw as he whispered, "I don't want to see the person I like get hurt."

"Okay!" Akaashi gasped, jumping up, face embarrassingly red. He blanched at what he just agreed to, and let his hands fall to his sides with a sigh. "...Fine. I'll take it off."

Bokuto beamed—the beautiful bright smile that could've lit up the whole area and erased the darkness from the mines.

"...I don't have a sports bra or anything with me, though."

"Oh." Bokuto was quiet for a moment. "Can't you just _not_ wear one?"

"Well, yeah, but..." He sighed, and then shook his head. "Whatever. I'll go take it off over there." He pointed towards a corner tucked hidden away from the eyes of the rest of the group.

Bokuto was up on his feet in an instant, eyes wide. "Hey, hey, wait!! I'll go with you!!"

Akaashi stared at him for a few moments, and then furrowed his eyebrows. "Uh... I'd rather have privacy?"

Bokuto bit his lip, and then shook his head rapidly. "No! No! What if you get _attacked!_ Or, or—something _happens_ to you!!" He was smiling brightly. "This way I can be a lookout!" When Akaashi narrowed his eyes, Bokuto's face flushed. "I-I won't _watch_ you or anything! I swear!!"

Covering his mouth with his hand, he snickered, and said, "I know, Bokuto-san."

Akaashi took a deep breath and led Bokuto the area tucked away from everyone else, and then pressed his back against the cool rock. He felt his face heating up, and mentally cursed himself that _now was definitely not the time_. He unzipped his jacket, watching out of the corner of his eye until Bokuto turned away, furiously looking around anywhere but Akaashi's direction (on lookout, of course). Akaashi bit the inside of his cheek as he peeled off his sweater, only leaving his binder underneath.

His fingers hovered over the edge of his binder, twitching and shaking lightly from the cold. He ripped off his binder as fast as he could, grimacing at the feeling of his chest feeling looser, and then threw on his sweater and jacket. Once he began zipping it up and the noise echoed, he looked down at the black binder in his hands and sighed.

"You can turn around now, Bokuto-san," he mumbled, looking down at the ground. It was uncomfortable.

"No I can't." His voice was oddly grave and serious.

"Huh? Why not—" Akaashi immediately bit his tongue once he turned around, and his grip tightened on his binder. His eyes went wide and his body froze up, and the ugly breath of the monster in front of them was making his nose burn.

The monster growled, its milky white eyes narrowing as its face leaned forward towards Bokuto's. The latter was trying to muster the will to stay completely and utterly still, but Akaashi could see his fingers slightly shaking, thumbs curled and trembling. Akaashi swallowed, taking a deep breath, and kept his eyes on the monster, trying to read for any sudden movements.

All the monster did was sniff a few times, growl under its breath, and then darted away with a distant shrill.

Akaashi knew that the rest would be able to hear the shriek, so he folded the binder into a small ball and shoved it into his jacket pocket. He took Bokuto's still-shaking hand and dashed back to the others, who were all at alert.

Kageyama, who was still holding the injured Hinata, jerked his head up with wide eyes. "What was that?" he asked in a hushed whisper, sounding scared. Hinata had the same expression.

Kenma, who looked just slightly better, was holding onto Kuroo's hand, his legs looking unsteady and unreliable as he leaned against his best friend.

"I'm guessing we need to get the hell out of here," Kuroo said lowly, eyebrows furrowed.

Bokuto huffed out a deep breath, hands on his hips, and nodded quickly. "Uh, yeah. Definitely."

"Are we going to try and look for Sawamura-san?" Kageyama asked, climbing to his feet and only half-paying attention to his own question—he was distracted by his attempts to help Hinata up.

Kuroo ran his hand down his face. "Yeah, yeah, sure. We'll look for Sawamura and the Yamaguchi kid. Sound good?"

As the others nodded and made noises of approval, Hinata blinked in confusion a few times. "Yamaguchi's... gone?"

"Missing," Kuroo corrected quickly, "and so is Sawamura, so we're gonna go try to find them."

"Oh..." Hinata winced as Kageyama draped one of his arms around his shoulders, lifting Hinata up higher. "Don't be so rough, stupid."

"Don't call me stupid, dumbass," Kageyama retorted, but it didn't come out as effective as he would've liked it to be.

 

* * *

 

" _Ow_ —fuckin'—" Tsukishima groaned as he nearly tripped over a log for the nth time. He shook his ankle, trying to rid himself of the pain.

"You okay?" Tanaka asked, glancing behind him.

"What does it _look_ like?" Tsukishima sighed, furrowing his eyebrows and grimacing. "It's _cold_ , I'm _bleeding_ , and my ankle is probably _broken_."

Yaku let out a sigh, slowing down a bit to walk beside the taller. "Calm down," he said lowly, narrowing his eyes. "A _lot_ of us are injured and bleeding. It's not just you."

Tsukishima just clicked his tongue, glancing to the side.

"Look, I get you're worried about Yamaguchi," Tanaka tried, shrugging, "but that _doesn't_ mean you can—"

" _Shut. Up._ " Tsukishima's tone was wrathful, his eyes _livid_. It was almost like he could start a fire with his stare and melt all the snow around them.

Tanaka blinked a few times before sharing a knowing look with Noya. Then he shrugged again, trying to fight back an amused smirk, "Alright then."

Yaku pursed his lips worriedly, and then ran up to catch up with the other two, slowing down his pace beside Noya.

Tsukishima trailed behind, biting his lip to prevent from groaning with pain as he forced himself to practically hop further. Once a particularly bad spike of pain shot his nerves, he stopped, exhaling slowly, and gripped the tree beside him. He accidentally tightened the grip on his injured hand, and cursed under his breath.

"Great," he sighed sarcastically, looking up as the other three made their merry way without even sparing a glance behind them.

After a few moments, the pain lessened enough for him to be able to stumble along again, and he was almost close enough to see the others when he noticed that they had stopped, and were staring at something near the large wall of mountain not so far away. He caught up to them, eyes narrowed in confusion, and tried to look at what they were staring that.

"It almost looks like a person," Noya said, pointing to said object.

It was hard to see through the snow, but the fact that the sun was beginning to rise and paint the sky in brilliant colors made it somewhat easier to find the object. It _did_ look like a person—all slumped on the snow and spread out. He leaned in, squinting his eyes, and taking a few steps forward. Yaku grabbed onto his sleeve before he could fall over.

"Should we check it out?" Yaku asked.

Tanaka let out a sigh. "Well, the entrance to the mines isn't too far from here," he noted, and then added, "I think." He scratched the back of his head. "I guess we can."

Noya was automatically on the case. He dashed forward before anyone could stop him, and was at the fallen lump in no time. He stared down at it for a few moments, and then whirled around to the others. Raising his hand, it looked like he was about to yell, but decided against it and decided to just wave his hand instead. He looked excited.

The other three all looked at each other, but decided on venturing out nonetheless.

"Holy _shit_ ," Tsukishima heard Tanaka say before he even managed to get over there. Cursing his injured ankle, Tsukishima forced himself to maneuver faster, and once he was close enough to recognize the fallen slump on the snow, all of his breath left him and he nearly doubled over on the ground.

He completely and utterly ignored the aching in his ankle and hand as he dropped to his knees beside the fallen person. He disregarded the blood around the person as he put one hand on Yamaguchi's back, moving his body to sit up and lean against his. He cradled his head, feeling the bump on the back of his head and the blood matting his hair.

Tsukishima felt a sudden spike of embarrassment once he realized that the other three were staring at him. He nearly let go of Yamaguchi, but stopped himself and only held him tighter. "How... did he get here?" he mumbled in an attempt to keep his voice from cracking.

As the other two looked side to side, Yaku glanced up at the cliff, and pointed. "I assume he fell from there," he said, and then bit his lower lip. "It's a wonder how he managed to survive the fall."

Yamaguchi felt like dead weight in his arms. Tsukishima ignored the urge to kiss the top of his head, and instead put his ear to his chest to listen for a heartbeat. It took a few moments, and Tsukishima's hands began to sweat as he heard the abnormally faint heartbeat. It was soft, just barely there, and Tsukishima let out a slow sigh.

"We need to take him back to the lodge," Tsukishima said firmly, trying to stand up with Yamaguchi in his arms. "He's too injured to go anywhere, and I can't keep up with my ankle."

Yaku nodded. Tanaka stepped forward and took Yamaguchi away from the blond, and before the latter could protest, said, "Your ankle is hurt too much to even walk, let alone carry someone. We'll all go back to take you there and then to the mines. Is that okay?"

Tsukishima stared at Yamaguchi for a bit, and then reached out to brush hair away from his face. Before he could start crying about how pale and weak he looked, he swallowed down whatever he wanted to scream, and nodded.

"Yeah. Y-Yeah, that's fine."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmu on [tumblr](http://saltyiwaizumi.tumblr.com/)


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tfw ur chapters get progressively shorter and shorter

It had been about an hour since Tsukishima returned to the lodge with Yamaguchi, and yet the latter still had no signs of waking up. Kiyoko and Yachi (and a few of the Fukurodani managers that had pitched in to help) had used the little medical supplies they had to attempt to wrap his wounds—but with the addition of every camper in the lodge (many of which had injures, whether major or minor), supplies were running thin and they most they could spare was a bandage or two.

Tsukishima was annoyed, but grateful nonetheless. He was angry, but he wasn't sure what he was mad at. The coaches, maybe. The monsters that had wrecked them all. The mountain itself.

He looked down at Yamaguchi, who was laying against him, as cold as ice and still as dead. Tsukishima kept one hand on Yamaguchi's neck; his slow, yet continuously beating heart was what was keeping him grounded. His other hand held him close, his legs curled up beside him and his upper body laying on Tsukishima's chest as the latter leaned against the wall. Admittedly, it wasn't a very comfortable position, but Tsukishima didn't really care.

He looked up, peering all across the main room of the lodge, where many of his fellow players were sitting and standing around. A few were crying, a few were unconscious, and some were being treated by the managers and some of the healthier campers. It was a disaster. The entire trip was a mistake, but nobody could have expected anything like this.

Tsukishima cursed under his breath. He wished he had stayed home. In the back of his mind, he wondered what time it was, and if the rangers were coming anytime soon. Through the windows and glass doors of the lodge, he could see the sun rising and painting the mountain and snow in light. At least it would be easier to see.

He let out a sigh, shifting to make himself more comfortable, but then froze when he felt Yamaguchi begin to move. His heart picked up considerably, gaze shooting down towards his friend. It was the most Yamaguchi had moved since they found him, and this meant he was _alive_. Tsukishima bit his lip nervously, and raised his head slightly to see Yachi's eyes fixed worriedly on Yamaguchi.

And then Yamaguchi's eyes were open, wide and staring hard at Tsukishima's face.

Tsukishima wasn't sure what to do with his hands and arms, so he kept them where they were. He swallowed, trying to keep his face neutral, but he could feel himself beginning to resist the urge to smile.

Yamaguchi blinked, trying to sit up, and then let out a sudden gasp. He faltered, slumping back against Tsukishima for a moment, and then pushed himself up into a sitting position. His hands lingered on Tsukishima's chest, tightening in the fabric of his shirt.

"Tsukki?" he asked, like his vision was betraying him.

"...Hey," Tsukishima breathed.

Yamaguchi's expression was unreadable. His eyes were glassy, and then he was crying. He threw his arms around Tsukishima's middle, burying his face in his chest and sobbing loudly. Tsukishima jolted in surprise, his hands hovering over Yamaguchi's back. _I'm sorry Tsukki I'm so sorry_ was being cried into his chest, muffled and choked up by hiccups. Tsukishima swallowed down his anxiety, and wrapped his arms around his friend, holding on tightly. He buried his nose into his hair, sniffing and just taking in the scent of his _alive and safe_ friend. He felt eyes on them, but he ignored it, and just marveled in the fact that Yamaguchi was _okay_.

Yamaguchi pulled way, face smeared with tears, and wiped at his nose with his sleeve. If he was in pain, he ignored it, and leaned in close towards Tsukishima's face. He put his hands on the other's shoulders, and then wrapped his arms around the other's neck slowly. He hugged him again, but more gentle and intimately, and the action made Tsukishima's face heat up. But he didn't not hug him back, and his grip on him became tighter.

"I'm sorry," Yamaguchi mumbled sincerely. "I—I shouldn't have left. I'm s-so sorry." He hiccuped over his words, and then flinched when one of Tsukishima's hands went to his hair, gently cradling his head.

"Shut up, Yamaguchi," Tsukishima said back, but it was soft and gentle rather than a snap. "It's okay. _You're_ okay."

Yamaguchi pulled back, face set in utter awe, and then made the bold decision to close the distance between them and catch Tsukishima's lips with his. It lasted for about three seconds until he realized what he was doing and drew back immediately, hand clapping over his mouth in shock and embarrassment. His face went red, but he was sure Tsukishima's face was redder than his. Tsukishima's lips were parted in surprise and his eyes were wide, and he was blushing all the way down to his neck. It was... really cute.

He couldn't help himself—Yamaguchi snorted behind his palm, and started giggling. Tsukishima made a startled noise.

"H-Hey! Don't laugh!" he protested, furrowing his eyebrows. When Yamaguchi just continued, he huffed. "It's not funny!"

"Sorry—Tsukki," Yamaguchi managed between giggles, trying and failing to hide his bright smile. Once he managed to catch his breath, he smiled softly at Tsukishima, and hugged him again, this time shifting so he was in Tsukishima's lap. "Thank you, Tsukki."

"...For what?" the other asked dumbly.

Yamaguchi beamed. "For saving me."

 

* * *

 

When Suga opened his eyes, he was laying on a table, his arms wrapped in bandages. When he turned his head to the side, he could see, through his blurry vision, Kiyoko and what looked like Hanamaki and Matsukawa working on someone groaning and wincing on another table.

"S-Suga-san!" he heard a familiar voice stammer. Yachi rushed up towards him, eyes wide. He blinked at her weirdly, and then trailed his eyes down to her wound, which was still bandaged tightly.

"...You shouldn't be moving around so much," was all he could say.

Yachi paused, surprised, and then said, "But there's so many hurt people, and we need all the help we can get." Her statement was so serious and firm that it made Suga have to lean back against the table.

He sat up, holding his head, and groaned. "What happened?" he asked, swinging his legs over the table and managing to stand up (Yachi tried to help him, but he gently pushed her aside, not wanting to put any strain on her shoulder).

Yachi looked over her shoulder back at something for a moment. "T-Tsukishima said you saved his life."

At the mention of Tsukishima, Suga blinked, and all the memories came flooding back in an overwhelming span of a few seconds. His heart twisted, his stomach suddenly feeling incredibly empty, and he whirled around to see Tsukishima staring wide-eyed at him, Yamaguchi in his arms. Suga jumped up, patting Yachi on her uninjured arm to let her know he was okay, and then wandered over towards his blond underclassman.

"You're okay..." Suga breathed, kneeling down in front of him, and then laughed softly. He shook his head in disbelief. "I was so worried..."

"How did you get here, Suga-san?" Tsukishima asked incredulously. "You were trapped under the bed..."

Suga blinked at the question, and lowered his gaze. "I..." he mumbled, furrowing his eyebrows, "can't remember...?" He looked back towards Yachi, who was watching him worriedly. When she walked over curiously, he asked, "How... did I get here?"

"Oh!" Yachi exclaimed, and then turned to point at Lev. "He brought you here." Lev didn't even look over. "He said he found you unconscious in the hands of a monster, so he shoved it away and ran to get here."

"Oh... wow..." Suga said in awe, eyes wide. He patted Tsukishima's knee, smiling at him, and walked over to Lev. The taller looked despondent, refusing to even look at Suga once he made it all the way over towards him. Suga cleared his throat, trying to get his attention, "Thank you, Lev."

The other glanced at him for a moment, and shrugged with one shoulder. "'S no big deal."

"It is," Suga assured seriously. "If you hadn't been there, I... would probably be dead right now."

Lev blinked a few times, and lowered his head a bit. "...You're welcome."

Suga wanted to ask what had him so upset, but he was sure it was the entire situation finally getting to him. He himself was trying to remain positive and upbeat to keep everyone's spirits up, but he knew that deep down it was getting to him too—it was only a matter of a time before he broke down into tears like some of the others. He took a deep breath, trying to keep himself focused, but his mind kept wandering towards the state of those in the mines. Especially Daichi.

He bit his bottom lip, feeling it beginning to bleed from how he kept picking the skin, but he ignored it. Wiggling and messing with his fingers, his mind kept flashing to worst-case scenarios: everyone in the mines dead, Daichi dead, and—who knows—maybe any one of them could be getting _killed_ right at that very moment.

He heard a distant groan of pain, and shook his head to dispel his thoughts. The other survivors needed help—he couldn't sit around and keep thinking about bad things. He was hopeful everyone was fine, anyway.

 

* * *

 

"So..." Hinata mumbled, taking in everything in, "what you're saying is, Yamaguchi got dragged away as soon as you got here... and now Daichi is missing." His voice sounded strained.

Kuroo nodded. "He got separated from the group some time ago."

"We're looking for them, right?" Hinata asked, eyes wide from his place against Kageyama. "Not _just_ a way out of here, right?"

"Yes," Bokuto replied before Kuroo could say anything. He looked a bit shaken up, face pale; most likely from the encounter they had just barely managed to escape from.

Kuroo stared at him for a bit, before awkwardly raising his hand and patting him on the back. The gesture seemed to calm him down slightly, so Kuroo moved in further and slung an arm around his neck. "Hey man, it's gonna be okay," he said, half to himself. "We'll find them. I know it."

Bokuto spared him a single glance, clenching his hands into fists and gnawing at his bottom lip. Worriedly, Akaashi picked up the pace until he walked alongside his captain, and put a hand onto his shoulder. Bokuto tore his gaze away from Kuroo to look down at Akaashi, and his expression softened. Kuroo backed away silently, almost unnoticeable, to take a place beside Kenma. Akaashi swallowed, a million reasons on why what he was about to do was a _horrible_ idea, and slid his hand into Bokuto's. Once he felt Bokuto stiffen, he shut his eyes and turned away, not wanting to see Bokuto's face. His own felt on fire.

Hinata raised an eyebrow at them, wondering just what exactly was the context of their relationship. He figured there were more important matters at hand and decided to shake it off. Turning his head towards Kageyama, he saw the way his eyes were dimmer and his usual frown was deeper.

"Kageyama," he called, louder than he meant to.

"Huh?" said boy replied back absentmindedly, snapping his head up and looking over at Hinata. "What?"

Hinata tilted his head, narrowing his eyes, and just chose to stare at his face for a few moments. With each passing moment, Kageyama only grew sweatier and nervouser. He swallowed, leaning back, and even tried stopping in order to get Hinata to look away, but the latter wouldn't—he outright refused to.

After what seemed like forever, Hinata finally spoke up, "You shouldn't frown so much, Kageyama. If you frown you'll get ugly when you grow old."

 _If I even get the opportunity to grow old_ , was what Kageyama wanted to say in a split second of negativity, but stopped himself, and only frowned deeper. "I'll be fine," he muttered under his breath.

Hinata snorted, before his laughter turned into soft chuckling, and Kageyama felt his face heat up as he stared at him. Shifting his gaze from side to side, unsure of what to do, Kageyama let out an awkward noise and started walking faster in order to catch up with the rest of the group. Suddenly, there was a faint pressure on his jaw, and he halted in shock. Looking down, he quickly realized that Hinata had kissed him on the jaw—most likely in an attempt for the cheek, but he couldn't reach with the way he was slumped against Kageyama's body.

Hinata flashed him a brilliant smile, and Kageyama _melted_. His face went red and he was about 99.9% sure steam was pouring from his skin and he was moving his arms awkwardly around, not sure where he usually put them or what to do with them. He remained silent, and stared at Hinata.

They exchanged a look, and then Hinata's face blazed red.

"K-Kageyama! Say something!" he shouted, looking anywhere but him.

"Hey!" came a shout from ahead. "Keep it down! We don't want them finding us!" Kuroo finished his warning with a sigh.

Kenma shot him a look, and said softly, "Leave them be. They were worried about each other."

Kuroo frowned, though his frown looked more like a pout than anything. "Yeah well I'm worried about _all_ of us." He took one look behind him, at Bokuto and Akaashi avoiding each other's gazes as they locked hands, and then down at Kenma.

Kenma didn't even turn to look at Kuroo as he said, "Kuro, if you want to hold my hand you could just ask."

In response Kuroo's face went pink and he sputtered, hands on his hips as he tried desperately to say something cool to seem casual. But, he failed, and his face was turning darker and darker by the second. Kenma finally turned to look at him, eyebrows raised in expectation.

Kuroo cleared his throat, leaning forward and closing his eyes. "Kenma," he started, his voice shaking, "can I—holdyourhand?"

Kenma made an odd sound in the back of his throat, almost sounding like he was trying to stifle a laugh, and then nodded. The faintest of smiles played on his lips, the kind that could only be seen by those closest to him. His hand swung by his side, expecting, and Kuroo wasted no time reaching down and lacing their fingers together. It wasn't the first time they've held hands—they did it all the time as children whenever Kenma allowed it to happen—but, now, like this, it felt more... _intimate_. Like it _meant_ something.

Maybe it didn't mean anything at all and Kenma was just reading into it too much.

Just thinking about it made Kenma's head hurt. He sighed out loud, which threw Kuroo into a frantic frenzy, thinking he had done something wrong.

"What the hell is that?" he heard Bokuto ask, which made them all stop and turn to look at him. Bokuto only pointed out further, towards an alcove tucked away in the corner of the cavern walls. "It looks like..." He paused, trying to figure out the right words, circling his hands in front of him in frustration.

Akaashi finished the sentence for him, "Like a break area."

Kuroo blinked, following Bokuto's finger. "A break area for what?"

"There used to be miners here, right?" Akaashi inquired, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe this is where they would take breaks after work."

"...Huh," Kuroo mumbled to himself, curiously wandering over to the supposed break area and taking a look around. Most of the area was messy and parts covered in blood, but papers were scattered and one corner was littered with old photos.

The others followed him, each of them taking one part of the break area and observing it.

Kuroo picked up one of the photos, turning it all around. It was a picture of an old, vintage family—a man posing with what seemed to be his wife and two sons. It was a postcard. When he stared at the man in the photo, an unsettling feeling suddenly washed over him, and he threw it to the ground in shock.

"These papers are talking about some kind of... hospital?" Hinata called out unsurely from his place on the floor. He rifled through papers, frowning and pursing his lips as he flipped each one over. "Something about taking people to a hospital and recording results."

"Lemme see," Bokuto said, taking the paper. Akaashi stood next to him, reading alongside him.

The entire group was silent as Bokuto's curious and focused expression turned into one of confusion and mild horror. Akaashi blinked, looking indifferent, but the sweat that broke out across his features betrayed him.

"What is it?" Kuroo and Kageyama asked at the same time, and then shared a strange look.

"Medical records, notes to doctors," Akaashi replied, taking another few papers from Hinata and sorting through them. "There's pictures—normal-looking men slowly... transforming into the wendigos."

"Wha..." Kuroo whispered, taken aback.

"Shouldn't this stuff be in a... hospital?" Kenma asked softly, looking confused. "What is it doing in a _break area?_ "

Akaashi blinked. "Good point."

"Maybe we're close to one."

The others paused, and slowly turned to stare at Kageyama. The latter jolted at the sudden attention, but tried to make his voice louder, "Well, um, if there's records around here, then there should be some kind of hospital room nearby... right?"

"That's possible," Akaashi said, sounding impressed, and looked up at Kuroo. "This mountain used to serve as a mining facility, right? Quite a successful one, as well. I recall there being some kind of building nearby the mine entrance. Maybe it's this supposed medical wing."

Kuroo shrugged, and then nodded after a moment's thought. "Yeah, probably. You want to go check it out?"

"If there's a building connected to this cavern," Akaashi stated matter-of-factly, "then our missing friends will most likely be heading in that direction."

"Will they even know about it?" Bokuto wondered aloud.

"Maybe not," Akaashi admitted, "but there'll most likely be signs, or clues that lead to the medical wing." He got to his feet, brushing off his pants. "Neither of them are stupid—they'll know what to do."

Bokuto pursed his lips, and nodded, and then grinned widely at Akaashi. "Akaashi's so smart..." he breathed, sounding in awe.

Akaashi rolled his eyes, but it didn't stop the heat appearing on the back of his ears.

"Hey guys," Hinata said from the floor, waving the others to come towards him. Once they did, he held up a paper towards all of them, "Check this out."

 

 **Name of Deceased** : _Takekawa Shina_

 **Date of Death** : _February 3rd, 1951_

_I hereby certify that I attended deceased from: March 8th, 1950 to February 3rd, 1951, and last saw her alive on February 3rd, 1951._

**Cause of Death** : _Severe lacerations to the abdomen and throat. Intra-abdominal injuries. Subsequent blood loss._

_If death was due to external causes (violence) fill in also the following._

_**Accident, suicide, homicide** : Homicide_

**Manner of injury** : _Laceration by sharp impalement. Possibly FINGERNAILS!_

 **Additional Notes** : _Please use the box provided overleaf for any additional relevant information._

_Signed by N. Kakani MD_

**Address** : _Narahashi_ _Sanatorium_

 **Date** : _February 3rd, 1951_

 

"A death certificate," Akaashi mumbled.

"It looks like this woman was killed by... one of those things," Kuroo said, handing the paper to Kageyama.

"'Narahashi'..." Kageyama whispered to himself, and looked up. "Wasn't that name on a few signs when we came here?"

Bokuto snapped his fingers. "You're right."

"Then it must be the name of the medical wing," Akaashi stated. "We should try to find our way there."

"It's probably filled with wendigos..." Kenma said, mostly to himself, and didn't realize anyone else had heard until everything went silent.

Kuroo bit the inside of his cheek, and then reached over to ruffle Kenma's hair. "Hey," he said to get the smaller boy's attention, "I'll protect you, okay?"

Kenma gave him a deadpanned look. "And I'll protect _you_."

Kuroo blushed, oddly enough, and then nodded, trying not to look stupid. "Yeah," he said softly. "Yeah you will."

And so they left.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [tumblr](http://saltyiwaizumi.tumblr.com/)


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am so sorry

Five people had died since the remaining campers had holed up in the lodge following the direct attack on the camp.

No matter what they tried, all five died as a result of their injuries—their wounds were just too great. Some mourned, some felt indifferent, and some couldn't find the motivation or strength to even think about the fact that they were gone.

Yachi felt her shoulder sting as she threw a sheet over the fifth's face, watching as it sunk accordingly to fit their body. She bit her lip, scratching her arm, and stared down at the floor. She had tried everything, and yet it still wasn't enough. They had died, because she wasn't good enough.

Nearly out of earshot she could hear whispers spreading across the main room of the lodge. _When are we going to be rescued? Are we going to die here? I just want to see my family again. Are the rangers ever coming? Will the coaches come back? Will the monsters come back? We need actual doctors—what we have here isn't good enough._

Yachi squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to cry, not now, not again. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her good shoulder, and when she looked up, Kiyoko was staring down at her. But she wasn't smiling, no; her face looked grave. Sullen. It made Yachi want to cry even more.

"How's your shoulder?" Kiyoko asked. Her voice was void of the happy undertone it usually carried when she spoke to her.

Yachi gave a one-shouldered shrug, trying to glance away from the other's hard gaze. "Fine. Better, I guess."

"Does it still hurt? You should rest."

Yachi shook her head, forcing a smile. "No, I have to help." When Kiyoko only narrowed her eyes, Yachi took her hands and squeezed them. "It's really fine. I _want_ to help."

Kiyoko visibly swallowed. She let out a tiny sigh, turning her head away. "...Alright." Then her eyes were suddenly sharp and focused. "If _anything_ starts hurting, tell me. Okay?"

Nodding once, Yachi stood on her toes to peck Kiyoko lightly against her lips. The resulting blush was minuscule, but there nonetheless, and Yachi's fake smile grew genuine. "I promise."

"Hey," called one of the Fukurodani managers— _Yukie_ , Yachi remembered, "I hate to ruin the moment, but we have a situation here."

Turning their attention towards her, the two girls trotted up to the other manager, who was hovering over a convulsing player, his hands and arms shaking uncontrollably.

Yachi's eyes widened, "What's wrong with him?"

Yukie took a deep breath. "I don't know," she said quickly, trying to hold the player down when he suddenly jumped up. "It may be a result of panic? I'm not a doctor; I don't _know_ what's going _on!!_ " She sounded hysterical, and neither of the girls could really blame her.

Suddenly, the player stopped shaking, and went limp against the floor. Confused, Yukie's hands shook as she slowly removed them from his body. The three watched him for a few moments, waiting for the player to open his eyes. When nothing happened, the three girls exhaled slowly and leaned in to listen for any sign of a pulse.

Then, the player suddenly shot up, eyes wide, ending up knocking Yukie in the head. He jumped to his feet with surprising strength, and promptly bolted out the door. He turned outside, running out of sight.

Yukie was on her feet in seconds. "Hey! Wait!!" she called, running up to the door and slamming it open, but not daring to take a step outside. She leaned forward, looking both ways, but there was no sign of the player anywhere—the only thing left of him were footprints in the snow. Yukie furrowed her eyebrows, wrapping her arms around herself and shivering.

There were a pair of hands on her shoulders, leading her back away from the door. "Nobody should go outside until we get help." It was Konaha. He sounded strained. "I'm sure he'll come back."

Except he didn't sound too sure of himself, and Yukie let out a shuddering, angry breath. She ripped away from Konoha's grip, slammed the door shut, and stormed out of the room.

Konoha growled out in frustration. "It's _stupid_ that we're just sitting around here doing _nothing!_ We could be _out_ there—helping!!"

Kiyoko swallowed down her anxiety. "It's not safe—"

"No _shit!!_ " Konoha snapped, making a few around him flinch. He sliced his hand through the air, gritting his teeth. "There should be some of us going out there to do _something_ instead of mindlessly wallowing around here like _cowards!!_ " He looked around him for any signs of agreement, but when he was only met with unsure whispering and glances, his expression turned doubtful. " _Seriously?_ "

All of a sudden, Kiyoko decided she was done with being nice, and cut right to it. Her eyes narrowed into slits, staring Kohona down like he was a roach. "If _you_ want to go out there, go ahead. Don't count on any of us going out to save your ass if you get hurt."

Yachi sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, folding her hands together in front of her.

Konoha glared at Kiyoko back, like it was some kind of competition. Then, as if to prove a point, he scoffed and threw his hands in the air. "Fine! I'll show you!!"

"Wait—" Yachi tried, but Kiyoko threw an arm over her, preventing her from moving forward.

Konoha turned to the door and stormed outside without another word, mumbling something to himself. He stood out in the snow for a while, wrapping his jacket around his body tighter. The door closed by itself behind him, and a few others wandered up to it to watch what he was going to do.

Konoha glanced around the snow for a little bit, seeing how the sun was beginning to make it visible outside again. He felt smug, letting a small smile warm up his face—

—and then the smile was gone.

There were screams of horror from the lodge as they all watched Konoha be grabbed by the neck by a large claw and another claw dig into his stomach. Konoha's own scream was short-lived as blood and guts spilled from his stomach. The last thing the others saw of him was his wide, blank eyes and open mouth spilling blood before he was dragged into the bushes.

The only trace left of him was the blood on the snow.

There was a collective silence inside the lodge for a few moments, allowing for everyone to comprehend exactly what just happened.

Then, in a shaking voice, someone whispered, "We're all going to die." And the lodge was in chaos.

People were crying, screaming, some were even vomiting on the floor. Some were rocking back and forth on the floor, some were being coddled by their friends or some random stranger.

Yachi looked over at Kiyoko with wide eyes, but Kiyoko was speechless. Her expression was unreadable.

"...I sent him out there to die." Kiyoko's whisper was weak. She looked down at her trembling hands, but before Yachi could do anything, she whirled around and ran into a following room, slamming the door shut and locking it before Yachi could come inside.

Yachi banged on the door a few times, calling out Kiyoko's name, but there was no reply. She quieted down, and then turned back to the main room of the lodge. Kiyoko's unofficial position as leader of the lodge had been passed onto her.

She felt a ten ton weight fall onto her shoulders, and she slid down the door to sit on the ground.

Her shoulder was hurting badly.

 

* * *

 

"Do you even have _any_ idea where we are?" Yaku asked exasperatedly, hands on his hips.

Noya squinted up at the sun that was rising slowly. "Not a clue."

Tanaka rolled his eyes. "Maybe we can find the coaches while we're at it."

"Maybe we can find _help_ ," Yaku retaliated. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "The rangers aren't scheduled to come until _tomorrow_. We need to find a way to make it happen faster."

"Weren't that pretty boy and the angry dude from Seijoh supposed to take care of that?" Tanaka asked, frowning. "I thought they went up to the radio tower."

Yaku kicked a bit of snow off his boot. "Well, they never came back, so something obviously happened."

"Maybe they're dead," Noya suggested. When he noticed the other two's wide-eyed, startled gazes at him, he didn't look phased in the slightest. "With everything that's been happening, it's not exactly something we can rule out."

Yaku opened his mouth, but then closed it.

Tanaka blinked. "I... _guess_." He furrowed his eyebrows, and stepped closer towards Noya to speak more privately. "You okay, man? You're actin' pretty weird."

"Peachy," Noya replied, picking up a stick from the ground and brushing the dirt and snow off it. Once it was clear, he bent over and began tracing patterns in a fresh patch of snow with it. Even as Tanaka walked away, Noya could still feel him staring at him. He glared down at the snow, drawing out an X over what looked like a face.

Tanaka walked over to Yaku with a weird, frightened expression. "I don't think he's okay."

Yaku bit his bottom lip, leaning over to glance at Noya. "Well..." he started, not sure what to say, "I guess some people just react differently to trauma. It... may be just how he's coping with it. Maybe if he acts like he doesn't care, he won't have to think about it."

"...Maybe," Tanaka said quietly, crossing his arms and shifting his feet. He glanced worriedly over at Noya, rolling his shoulders. "I guess we'll just have to keep an eye on him."

Then suddenly, Noya's head snapped up, and he was staring at a dark spot between a few sets of trees. Tanaka and Noya followed his gaze, and when they heard the rustling, the two immediately ran up to Noya's side, trying to pull him away. Noya was rooted to the ground, his eyes unblinking. He seemed transfixed by something—but neither of them could see what it was.

When Yaku looked down at the edge of the dark spot, he could see the glimmer of sharp nails against the sunrise. He whipped his head towards Tanaka in a panic. "We have to go, _now_ ," he whispered urgently.

"Noya, c'mon," Tanaka urged, but when Noya continued to ignore him, he let out a loud groan. The groan seemed to trigger something, and the rustling in the trees only got louder and louder until finally a creature protruded from the darkness with a heavy sneer.

"Shi—" Yaku cut himself off as Tanaka suddenly grabbed Noya and threw him over his shoulder.

"RUN!!" Tanaka called back.

Yaku glanced back once at the creature, which was poised in a pouncing position, and he bolted.

The creature followed instantaneously, and Yaku could hear its growls and pants as it tried everything to catch up to Yaku. It was incredibly fast, and Yaku wasn't, but he wasn't slow either. He skidded across the ground, making a sharp turn once he saw Tanaka do the same, and nearly tripped from jumping so quickly. The only good thing about his height was that he didn't have to duck underneath branches as much as Tanaka did.

The creature was right on his tail, and Yaku flinched once he heard its telltale screech echoing through the forest. The other creatures would know they were there—and there was nowhere to even hide. Would he have to just run forever, or just until the creature got tired? Yaku was sure the monster's stamina would outlast his. Even thinking about it made him tired, and his legs were straining with overuse—

Sometime in his spiel, he had slipped on a rock and rolled onto the ground. He fell off a slight ledge in the snow, and once he saw his opportunity, he rolled underneath the ledge and ducked, praying that the creature couldn't see him. The back of his mind, he wondered where Tanaka and Noya had went and if they were safe.

After a few moments of extreme tension, Yaku let himself exhale in relief.

But then it was short-lived.

Suddenly, a large claw wrapped around his ankle and dug its nails into his skin. He cried out in shock, eyes wide, and clawed for the top to the ledge to grasp onto. It was just out of his reach, and when his fingertips brushed the icy exterior of it, the claw started dragging him away at an incredible speed.

 _No! Wait!!_ he vaguely heard a voice that sounded like Noya's cry out, but all that filled his mind was thoughts about how he was going to die, where he was going to die, how he was going to so _young_ —

But then he realized that he wasn't ready to die, and he turned to face the creature with blazing eyes. In the struggle of being dragged across snow and rocks, he kicked his free foot against the creature's arm, groaning when his head was knocked against a sharp rock in the process. He vaguely noted the presence of blood across his body, but ignored the pain and continued to kick and jab the creature over and over. He reached out and tried grabbing onto tree stumps and branches in attempts to keep himself grounded somewhere, but the creature was strong and just kept _going_.

He cursed under his breath, gritting his teeth and taking a deep breath, but before he could try his hand in jumping up and leaping onto the creature, a figure suddenly slammed a rock against its head. The creature made a noise, angry and hissing, and jumped off to the side. Yaku was free, even for just a split second. A hand was pulling him up, and he was too dizzy to make out a face but through his blurry vision he could see a familiar head of spiky hair and he sighed in relief.

A cold hand wrapped around his own and began pulling him, Yaku being forced to run in order to keep up. His legs felt weak and his ankle was in terrible pain, but he dealt with it and just ignored everything except for the person pulling him along.

"We may be able to die at any moment," he heard Noya say, but it sounded so far away, "but right now is not that moment."

He registered the face of Tanaka pulling Noya into a dip in the snow where they could hide, and his vision was still so blurry and he was seeing red, but there were people around him and he was safe, even if just for the moment.

The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Noya's face and the white of snow around them.

 

* * *

 

"...There isn't much here," Akaashi said dully, glancing around at the ruined Sanatorium.

Kuroo pursed his lips. "It looks like someone's been here before."

"Uh, yeah?" Bokuto said, confused.

Kuroo shook his head. "No, not like that. I mean _recently_ ," he clarified, raising his eyebrows. When something caught his eyes, he squatted down and ran his fingers against the ground, brushing a bit of debris away. Underneath a rock was small droplets of blood—blood that could've been fresh maybe an hour ago. "Maybe it was Yamaguchi or Sawamura."

"How would they have found this place without the information we have?" Akaashi questioned. "Wouldn't it be kind of difficult to just... wander in here accidentally?"

Kuroo clicked his tongue, putting his hands on his hips as he stood back up. He felt Kenma shuffle closer to him, and ruffled his hair before pushing his face to his side. "It's alright," he assured with a small sigh, and then let his arm fall loosely around his friend's shoulders before glancing around.

"What about up there?"

The others turned towards Kageyama and Hinata, who were both looking up at the ceiling. When the others did so as well, they saw a large hole where someone could have easily fallen through.

Hinata continued, pointing upwards. "Could someone have accidentally fallen from up there?"

"That's plausible," Akaashi said, nodding his head. "It must have hurt, though. That's a pretty big fall."

"Maybe whoever it was is still here!" Bokuto suggested, looking hopeful.

Kuroo shrugged, acknowledging it. "Well, I think we should start with walking around and exploring. Watch your step too—it seems this place is pretty unstable."

Hinata scoffed. "Since when did _you_ become leader, Lanky?"

Kuroo looked confused, and then glanced over at Kenma. "Am I being a leader?" he asked, genuinely puzzled. "I'm just trying to help."

Kenma shook his head and patted Kuroo's shoulder. He glanced over at Hinata when Kuroo wasn't looking and waved it off. Hinata just shrugged.

"Oh well," he sighed. "It's fine."

 

* * *

 

"God... this place is so _creepy_ ," Bokuto said, his voice uncharacteristically soft. His hands ran over the smooth, cool marble of the wall.

Akaashi looked around the ceiling, trying to find any signs of exits. The only rooms he had been able to find were extensively morbid—a room full of weapons and traps, a room completely empty but splattered in blood, and a room that was most likely used as some kind of experimentation or execution room (the only item in the room had been chair in the center, covered in dry blood and desperate scratches from fingernails). All in all, none of them had much luck in finding anything.

Then something caught his eye.

It looked like an oil lamp, except it was empty of oil and it was practically broken. Akaashi picked it up curiously, accidentally cutting his finger on one of the broken parts. He winced, shaking his finger, and stuck it in his mouth to suck on the small cut as he inspected the area.

The oil lamp seemed to have rolled out of a joining room. There were fallen barrels, and bits of flames on the ground here and there. He blinked, wide-eyed, and cast the oil lamp elsewhere as he tried putting out the flames. The chain-link fences in the room were rusty and broken.

Before Akaashi could look at anything else, he felt a slight chill coming from the door on the other side. When he took a step towards it, however, what interrupted him was a pained scream coming from a few rooms away.

Akaashi locked eyes with Bokuto, and the two immediately ran to follow the source of the scream.

Once they arrived into the room filled with traps, they realized that the source had been Kenma—he was being held up against a wendigo and his back was just about to dig into a giant razor blade. His eyes were wide and filled with panic and he was about to scream again.

Out of the corner of his eye, Akaashi saw Kuroo pick up an axe from one of the nearby shelves. He didn't even hesitate to swing it in the wendigo's direction, and although it had no direct physical effect, it didn't stop him—so it didn't stop Akaashi either. He picked up the closest object he could find (which happened to be a cement block) and chucked it at the monster. The wendigo wobbled, effected by the sudden impacts, and effectively dropped Kenma.

Kenma scattered across the ground, crawling away and scrambling to lean against the wall on the other side of the room. Akaashi could see him shaking.

"We need fire!" Kuroo exclaimed, remembering the journal. The wendigo was closing in on them, and the objects being thrown at it one by one were having little to no effect whatsoever.

Akaashi bit his lip, glancing around frantically, but he could see nothing that could start a fire. "We'll have to outrun it!" he said, and then remembered the chill he felt in the room earlier. "I think I found an exit that way!" He nudged his head in the direction he and Bokuto just came from.

Kuroo nodded and carefully walked over to get Kenma, and the latter didn't protest when Kuroo collected him in his arms. Unfortunately, the wendigo was the only thing blocking him from getting across. He gnawed on his bottom lip, his palms sweaty. Then, suddenly, Kenma slipped out of his arms and he was about to grab him back but then Kenma was ripping off his jacket and running up so he could wrap it around the wendigo's neck. Its claws reached behind to grab at him, and his nails tangled in his hair, but Kenma just grit his teeth and continued pulling. His arms were straining.

Akaashi watched him in awe, and then remembered the fabric in his pocket. He slowly pulled out the binder, an idea forming in his head, and charged forward without a second thought. With surprising agility, he used part of the wendigo's body to wrap around it and tighten his binder against its face. Its teeth tore through them, but Akaashi only tugged harder and harder.

With the wendigo distracted, Bokuto and Kuroo started leading it towards what looked like a cage. Chucking objects, but being careful not to hit the two setters, they managed to push it inside. Akaashi and Kenma both jumped off, leaving their garments behind, and Kuroo slammed his body against the cage door to keep it shut. The wendigo retaliated, shoving against it in return, but Bokuto was quick and fumbled to get the lock on. Once he did, they slowly backed away, watching as the wendigo continuously slammed against the door, but to no avail.

"...Where's Shouyou?" Kenma suddenly spoke up, forcing his eyes away from the wendigo.

"Over here!!" came Hinata's reply.

The four turned, only to see a giant hole in place of the pathway that would lead them to the other two members of their party. Kageyama was curiously pressing the sole of his shoe against the edge of the hole, and Hinata was waving from the other side. The hole was far too large to even think about jumping over, and there were no possible routes from the sides.

"It's okay!" Hinata said reassuringly, his smile and voice oddly optimistic in the current situation. "We can find another way!"

"...Alright," Kuroo said, looking troubled. "You better not get yourselves hurt!"

"Okay, Dad!" Hinata called back jokingly, before grabbing Kageyama's sleeve and tugging him in another direction. Then he stopped, as if realizing something, and turned around. "Don't forget about u—" He suddenly cut himself off, and his lips were forming new words, much louder and more urgent, " _BEHIND YOU!!_ "

The four whirled around, and Kuroo was the first to be grabbed. He let out a shout of terror, caught off-guard as the wendigo lifted him up in the air with ease. This wendigo was smaller than the one in the cage, but just as terrifying.

"Shit!" Bokuto and Akaashi yelled out at the same time.

Kenma was frozen, watching helplessly as his friend dangled in the air, kicking and punching and trying everything to break free. Eventually, he watched as Kuroo grit his teeth and called out, "Run! While its distracted!!"

All three hesitated, but Bokuto and Akaashi began running. Kenma was the only one who didn't move. Akaashi ran back, grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling him away.

" _No_ , n-no, wait," Kenma protested weakly, not really doing anything to prevent Akaashi from pulling him away. He felt weak, lightweight, like nothing was real and he was just floating in midair. He stumbled over his own feet, falling back onto Akaashi and sending them both to the ground.

Suddenly, the wendigo threw Kuroo against the wall, making a loud _crack!_ echo through the room. Kuroo's following groan sounded weak, and he slid to the ground like he weighed nothing. His body trembled as he tried to get up, but the wendigo's claws pressed against his neck and dug into his skin. There was blood, and Kenma felt like he was going to throw up and scream and cry all at once—

Then Kuroo kicked his foot against the wendigo's face. It was a mistake. The wendigo grabbed his ankle, keeping his leg suspended in the air, and Kuroo didn't even have a chance to breathe before the wendigo snapped it backwards. What came out was a choked scream, and Kenma felt tears on his face. The wendigo's teeth dug into the crack in his leg, and Kuroo just kept screaming and _screaming_.

There was blood _everywhere_. Nobody knew what to do—except for Bokuto, apparently. He barreled into the wendigo without hesitation, shoving him into the large hole and nearly falling in himself. Akaashi jumped forward and grabbed his arms before he could fall in, and tugged him backwards. He stumbled, ending up falling down with Bokuto on top of him.

Kenma crawled up towards Kuroo wordlessly, the latter of which was panting and whimpering in pain. Kenma's shaking hands hovered over Kuroo's leg, which was bent in a way it was most certainly _not_ supposed to be and bleeding. He swallowed down whatever threatened to come out of his mouth, and threw his hands over his eyes. He didn't want Kuroo to see him cry—which was odd, considering that Kuroo was the only one (besides his mother) who had ever seen him cry.

"K-Kuro," he stammered, not sure what he was trying to say, "I-I-I'm— _sorry_."

"Not—your fault," Kuroo said automatically, voice strained as if he were trying not to wince.

"Hey, man," Bokuto said, having regained his bearings and standing over his friend, "you okay?"

Kuroo laughed weakly. "Oh yeah. Just fine." He even winked.

Bokuto rolled his eyes, but he leaned down to pick up Kuroo. Kuroo groaned loudly as he stumbled against Bokuto, his injured leg twitching as he tried to not move it. He leaned against Bokuto, letting out a slow, labored breath. He stumbled forward, and their movements were agonizingly slow. It would take forever until they would be able to make it to the possible exit.

Interrupting their struggle, there was an echoed screech coming from down the hall. With wide eyes, all four whirled around to face the hallway where it came from. There were shadows straggling closer and closer.

"Fuck," Bokuto hissed under his breath, and tried to urge Kuroo faster, but he couldn't do it and clattered to the ground. "Shit, _fuck_ , I'm sorry, dude, I'm—"

"Leave me."

Bokuto was suddenly quiet, mouth dry as he stared incredulously at Kuroo. "W-what? Ha, n-no way, man. I'm not just gonna leave you here!"

"Yes—you are," Kuroo managed, shifting to manage a better position against the wall. "You'll never make it in time if you take me with you. Just leave me here, I'll be fine."

"You will _not_ be fine," Akaashi protested. "Quit messing around and let's go." He tried to lean down to help him up, but Kuroo all but shoved him away.

"Leave. Me." Kuroo's voice was firm, almost angry.

Bokuto seemed to struggle with what he wanted to say, but before he could protest again, Kenma was shoving past him and crawling over towards Kuroo. He swallowed, opening his mouth to say something—but Kuroo cut him off.

"You did a great job protecting me, kitten," he said, holding up his pinkie to remind him of the promise they made.

Kenma's eyes went wide, tears spilling down his cheeks. "N-No," he stuttered, shaking his head, and grabbing Kuroo's lifted hand with both of his shaking ones. "No, we—we aren't leaving you."

Kuroo sighed, like he was expecting this. "Yes, you are. It'll be fine, I promise—"

"Stop promising!" Kenma protested, shouting louder than he meant to. "You _promised_ to protect me and I _promised_ to protect you." He let out a shuddering breath, hanging his head and pressing his face against Kuroo's chest. "Don't _leave_ me Kuro _please_ you promised—" _You're supposed to stay by my side._

Kuroo cut him off by lifting his head gently and leaning in to kiss him. Kenma was frozen, stiff as Kuroo tilted his head, fitting his lips properly against Kenma's. Kenma wanted to kiss back, but he couldn't and when Kuroo pulled away, his jaw was agape and his face was red with anger and frustration.

"I love you."

Kenma wanted to scoff at him. He wanted to yell at him for saying it at such an inappropriate time. He vaguely saw Kuroo look up and nod at Bokuto, and it wasn't even a few seconds until he was suddenly scooped up in Bokuto's arms and was being pulled away. Frightened and alarmed, he struggled, feeling himself grow more hopeless as Kuroo sent him an obviously lovestruck smile. He swallowed down the lump in his throat and battered his hands against Bokuto's back.

"No! NO!! _PUT ME DOWN!!!_ " he screamed at the top of his lungs, grabbing onto the walls and doorways. Kuroo was getting more and more out of sight. "PUT ME DOWN _NOW!!_ NO!! KURO!! _KURO!! STOP!!_ " Kenma could hear the other two trying to calm him down but he didn't care—he hated them. "LET GO OF ME LET GO OF ME!!!"

He could hardly register a thing, and he barely felt it when suddenly he was being shoved outside and cold hit his face. He could hear faint screeches and voices talking to him, and then he was being pushed to the side far and far and far—

—and he was falling.

When he opened his eyes again, Bokuto and Akaashi were panting and kneeling over the snow, breathless. Kenma felt an uncontrollable rage overwhelm him, and he let out a hostile scream, charging towards Bokuto with extended hands. He jumped on top of him, clawing at his face and hitting wherever he could.

"YOU LEFT HIM! YOU LEFT HIM!! YOU LEFT HIM TO _DIE!!!_ " he yelled with each punch. He didn't stop when Akaashi grabbed him and tried to pull him off, and once he managed to pin him against the ground, Kenma hissed at him and tried to attack him as well.

"We were all going to die if we didn't!" Akaashi exclaimed, looking exasperated.

Kenma couldn't find his voice for a few moments. He stared up at the other setter with a vexed gaze, hands poised into claws and ready to attack at any moment. Once he felt himself calm down a little, Akaashi lifted himself from on top of him. Kenma didn't move an inch—he stared up at the sky as the realization began to settle into him.

Kuro was _gone_.

They had _left_ him there to _die_.

He would probably never see him again.

Kenma's anger was suddenly gone, and he was sobbing loudly. He couldn't control himself—he was usually a silent crier but now everything was so overwhelming he just wanted to be _loud_. He wanted the _world_ to know how upset he was. He wanted Bokuto and Akaashi to feel _guilty_ for what they did. He sobbed, wailed, cried, tears falling down his face and sniffling.

He covered his face with his hands, sinking into the snow. His clothes were getting wet and cold, but he didn't care.

_I love you._

Kenma slammed his hands against the snow in frustration, and stood up. Akaashi and Bokuto were staring at him worriedly, but they didn't have the right.

"You _murderers_ ," Kenma hissed at them.

"I-I—" Akaashi tried, but was cut off by a sudden voice from far off.

"Hello!? Is someone there!?" It sounded familiar, but none of them could tell who it was. A figure began running towards them, and when they came out of the shadows, all of them inhaled sharply at once.

"...You're..." Kenma breathed out.

Takeda looked up, looking absolutely wrecked from head to toe. He gave a weak smile. "Hey."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [tumblr](http://saltyiwaizumi.tumblr.com/)


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is so short im so sorry. its a lil gay so mayb that'll make up 4 it

"Hey, Iwa-chan, do you see that down there?"

"Huh?" Iwaizumi looked down, following Oikawa's finger to where he was pointing. He squinted to try and see better, but he couldn't see a thing. Darkness consumed them. "What?"

"It's a—" Oikawa cut himself off, furrowing his eyebrows, as if trying to find the right words. He shook his hands out in front of him, making an unsure noise. "—a lump. It looks like a book? A bag?"

Iwaizumi pursed his lips curiously, and sat on the ground so he could hop through the opening his companion was talking about. When he came down, he reached above him to help Oikawa down. He nearly fell against him, and Iwaizumi's skin felt hot from where Oikawa's hands had been. He ignored it for now—wasn't the appropriate time to worry about things like that.

He advanced through the room, struggling to see anything from how dark it was. Eventually his foot hit something, kicking it further away. Iwaizumi squatted down, fumbling around to find it. Then his fingers brushed against something leathery, and he jolted in surprise.

"Did you find something?" Oikawa asked, his voice soft as he walked beside the other.

"Yeah," Iwaizumi replied, voice equally quiet. He wrapped his hand around the leathery object, and when he held it in his hand, he realized it _was_ a book. "You were right."

"A bag?"

"No, a _book_ , you idiot."

Oikawa scoffed, and leaned closer so he could see better. "It looks like a journal."

"Mm. Maybe." Iwaizumi was already flipping through the pages, and all the scribbles on it were practically unreadable in the dark. "Let's go somewhere where we can see."

"Okay!" Oikawa agreed, sounding far too chipper. He hopped up, folding his hands behind his back, waiting for Iwaizumi to follow him.

The latter squinted. "Is something wrong?"

"Eh? No," Oikawa denied, shaking his head. "I'm just glad you're here."

"O-oh—uh," Iwaizumi stammered lamely, feeling his cheeks get warm despite it all. "Same. To you, I mean."

Oikawa smiled softly at him, not saying a word. He looked bashful. Iwaizumi decided he liked that look on him more than anything else. He walked up to him, journal tucked underneath his arm, and wondered if it would be okay to grab the other's hand.

Before he could, however, Oikawa was turning and squinting at something in the corner. Curiosity apparently got the better of him, and Iwaizumi watched his tall frame stalk towards the shadow in question. He saw the other kneel down and lean forward—

—and then he heard him let out a terrified gasp. Iwaizumi was sure it had been meaning to be a scream.

Panicked, Iwaizumi ran up to him and pulled him back. Oikawa was panting, scooting back and grabbing onto Iwaizumi any way he could. "O-Oikawa!? What is it!?" Iwaizumi demanded, his heart racing from trepidation.

"A—a," Oikawa breathed, unable to utter a single word. His eyes were as wide as saucers, his entire body shaking. He sniffled, but he wasn't crying.

Iwaizumi bit his lip as he leaned forward, trying to see the object in the corner that had shaken up his partner so badly. He could make out a faint expression, and leaned in closer.

He was met face-to-face with the head of Sawamura Daichi. A _head_ with _no body_.

Suddenly, it all became clear. There was blood everywhere, even on the journal. He dropped it in a scurry, his hands shaking as his breathing picked up. "Oh my _God_ —" he wheezed out, "oh, _fuck_ , shit—"

He grabbed Oikawa, tugging him by the shoulder to get him to his feet. No matter how much it disgusted him, he forced himself to grab the journal and practically scrambled out of the room. The two nearly tripped once or twice, but they managed to stop in a small corner of the caverns where there was even a slither of light.

Iwaizumi pressed himself against the wall, his entire body sweating bullets. He let the journal slip from his hands, falling to the ground at his feet. Oikawa was curled up on the ground beside him, unmoving and silent. Iwaizumi slid down the wall, pressing his hands against his face, and he just _broke_. Tears streamed down his face as all the weight of what was going on crashed on him. People were _dying_. _Everything_ was going wrong.

Just as he was about to wipe away his tears, a pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled his face to their chest. Iwaizumi flinched, his eyes wide as his cheek pressed against Oikawa's chest, but then Oikawa was burying his face in his hair and tightening his grip. Iwaizumi wrapped an arm around his middle, turning to cry into his jacket.

They stayed there for what seemed like forever, simply holding each other and letting out all their frustration. Eventually, Iwaizumi pulled his head away, but he didn't move his arm. Oikawa's hands laid loosely on his shoulders as he turned around to grab the journal. He wiped his cheeks and eyes with his sleeve, and took a deep breath before flipping through the pages.

"What do you think it is?" Oikawa asked, voice slightly breathless and cracking.

Iwaizumi shrugged, lest his voice crack too, and stopped on a random page.

 

_The Wendigo's eyes change. They become both sharper and more dim. The Wendigo sees movement. It is a hunter, like a hawk. But it cannot see stillness. If you are to keep totally still then the Wendigo will not be able to see you._

_The skin and flesh of the Wendigo are hard, like armor. They seem to feel no pain. They cannot be cut or stabbed. Bullets will not pierce their skin, though a shotgun will keep them at bay._

_Because the Wendigo is mutated from a human, it knows how to hunt us. It can perfectly mimic its prey. You must remain sharp and disciplined._

 

"What's a 'wendigo'?" Oikawa mumbled offhandedly.

"...Maybe it's the monsters that are everywhere," Iwaizumi offered, idly flipping through other pages and skimming through them.

Oikawa perked up at the suggestion, and gently grasped Iwaizumi's hand to flip back to the previous page. He pointed to the first paragraph. "This says that if we stay still we'll be okay."

Iwaizumi frowned. "That's probably a last resort."

"Maybe..." Oikawa scoffed lightly. His cheeks were still wet. "Have a gun by any chance, Iwa-chan? Besides your biceps, of course."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Iwaizumi narrowed his eyes at him, but decided not to address the latter. "No. We might be able to find one, though. Who knows what's in these mines."

" _I_ know." Oikawa let out a sigh. "Wendigos."

 

* * *

 

"All the coaches had disappeared!" Bokuto protested, eyes wide.

Takeda scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Uh... I can explain."

"You'd better start talking," Akaashi said, eyes sharp, "because a _lot_ of us are dead and dying."

Takeda's sheepish smile fell. "Um..." he mumbled, shifting his weight from left to right. "Well... how do I start...?"

"From the beginning."

Takeda nodded, and brushed his hair back. The other three could see a large cut rooting deep into his hair more clearly. "Well, uh. What we tried to do, after we told everyone to stay inside, was to try to get to the radio tower to get help."

Bokuto raised an eyebrow.

"We... never made it." Takeda bit his lip. "We were attacked by those... _things_."

"Wendigos," Akaashi said wistfully.

Takeda shuddered. "They killed Coach Nekomata first." He turned to give Kenma an apologetic, guilty look. "I'm... so sorry."

Kenma's mouth went dry. He didn't say a word—he only leaned back so he could sit on the snow, and tucked his knees to his chest.

Takeda swallowed. "Coach Yamiji was next, and then... Coach Manabu got dragged away. I don't know if he's _alive_ or not..."

Kenma only curled in deeper. Akaashi clenched his fists, knuckles turning white. Bokuto was speechless, for once. He only held his mouth open, as if in disbelief.

"The rest of us managed to get away, but we got separated. I don't know where anyone else is..." Takeda took a deep breath, like he was trying to build up the will not to cry. "I've been alone and hiding for a while. I'm so relieved to have found someone else," he laughed lightly, but then paused. "...Who all is dead?"

Bokuto and Akaashi glanced at one another, both frowning. Bokuto was the first to speak, "Um. I don't know, but I'm sure there's more. Hopefully _not_ , but..."

"Kuro," Kenma suddenly said. When the three turned to look at him in shock, Kenma gave them all a sharp glare. "Kuro is dead."

"He _wasn't_ dead when we left him—" Akaashi tried, but Kenma cut him off with a literal hiss.

Takeda fumbled, unsure of what to do. Then he sighed. "Our first priority should be to get back to camp. We can make a plan from there."

"I second that," Akaashi said, nodding, and when Bokuto agreed, the former turned towards Kenma with a frown. "Kenma, are you coming?"

Kenma's fists were balled so tightly that they were white, his fingernails digging into his palms. He swallowed down whatever he wanted to say, and slowly stood. "Yeah," he said shakily. His face was pale. "I guess."

 

* * *

 

Trying to take care of everyone in the lodge was more difficult than Yachi had expected. While there were the few who didn't need help and could hold their own, the terrified and desperate ones were the hardest to handle. Those that, when thrown in a terrifying and unexpected situation, were rendered helpless. Yachi didn't have the strength to do it alone, and eventually, she retreated towards the door where Kiyoko had fled through.

Holding her shoulder, she weakly knocked on the door. "Kiyoko?" she mumbled, decided to drop the honorific. When there was no reply, Yachi bit her lip. "K-Kiyoko, _please_ answer me," she whispered tearfully. "I can't do this alone. I'm so _scared_. I can't keep _pretending_ to be brave." She hesitated. "... _You_ don't have to keep pretending, either."

There was a small noise from inside, muffled. It almost sounded like a sob. There was a patter of footsteps, and Yachi heard the noise of a lock being unlocked. She took a deep breath, and slowly opened the door. It was dark inside, but she flipped on the light.

Kiyoko was sitting on the floor against the wall, face stricken with tears and hand pressed against her forehead. Yachi felt her heart drop to her stomach, and she closed the door behind her.

"I'm sorry," Kiyoko automatically said, trying to keep her voice steady the best she could. "I just..."

Yachi shook her head, and walked over to the other girl. She knelt down, hissing at the pain in her shoulder, and wrapped her good arm around Kiyoko to pull her into a hug. Kiyoko stiffened, surprised, but she eventually relaxed with a small exhale; she rested her head on Yachi's good shoulder, her arms tightening around Yachi's waist.

After a few moments of silence, Yachi reached up to pet Kiyoko's hair. "You know..." she began softly, "you're really brave, and strong to have kept going this long. I don't think I'd be able to."

"You've kept going this long too, though," Kiyoko retorted, voice muffled in Yachi's shoulder.

Yachi laughed a little, soft and breathy. "I... guess. Not exactly the way I'd like to, though."

"What do you mean?"

The blonde bit her lip. "Well... I wish I was strong enough to take care of everyone, to hold everyone on my... well, shoulders." To emphasize her point, she glanced at her injured shoulder. "But..." Her face got red, and her palms sweated as she ran her shaky fingers through Kiyoko's soft hair. "I think if you're here, I feel like I can do anything."

Kiyoko froze, her grip on Yachi loosening slightly. Yachi was about to burst into a babble of nervous chatter, but Kiyoko cut her off by leaning up and gently placing a hand on her cheek, her thumb stroking against her jawline and trailing towards her bottom lip.

"Was that your version of a confession?" she asked, lips curled in an amused smile.

Yachi flushed. "Uh... if it _worked_ , then yes."

Kiyoko snorted. "It did," she confirmed, and leaned in to kiss her.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> coach nekomata and yamiji are the coaches for nekoma. manabu is the coach for fukurodani.
> 
> [tumblr](http://saltyiwaizumi.tumblr.com/)


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for a description of a panic attack !!!
> 
> im sorry this is late but school ends next thursday and i will be Free
> 
> (and??? this got added to a collection??? what??? thank you???)

"Kageyama."

The boy in question turned to his companion, his eyebrows furrowing. "What?" he asked, and then frowned at Hinata's expression. "What's with that stupid look on your face?"

Hinata squawked. "Hah!? It's not a stupid look! It's just my face!"

Kageyama bit his lip, whirling away with a scowl set firmly in place. "Whatever. What do you want?" he demanded, tone coming out harsher than he intended. He winced internally, and hesitantly glanced at his partner out of the corner of his eye.

Hinata made a humming noise, folding his arms behind him and tugging anxiously on the sleeves of his coat. He closed his eyes, and Kageyama could see the back of his ears turn pink, oddly enough.

"Ah, nothing. I was just wondering what you were thinking."

"About?"

"If we're gonna survive or not."

Kageyama nearly stopped in place and choked on his spit. He stared at Hinata bug-eyed, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. He didn't know what to say, what to do—he just kept staring.

Until, finally, he blurted out, " _What!?_ "

Hinata didn't say anything, or make any changes in his seemingly nonchalant expression. Kageyama thought back to the beginning of the entire catastrophe, and his blood ran cold. Hinata had been the most affected of them all— _he_ was the one who discovered the first one of them to die.

"Don't you have any doubts, Kageyama-kun?" Hinata asked, his voice carrying an unnerving, teasing undertone.

Kageyama sputtered. "I—uh, I-I guess?"

Hinata's eyes were sharp when he turned to gaze Kageyama fully in the eye. "I saw Ennoshita's head, _missing_ from the rest of his body," he whispered, voice so light Kageyama could barely hear. " _I_ was the one who found Asahi-san. I was _dragged_ away from the _massacre_ of the lodge and _dropped_ down in here." His jaw was clenching and it looked like he was about to cry. In all honesty, so was Kageyama. "Don't you think I _deserve_ to be negative for once? _Don't_ give me that pitying look, Kageyama."

Kageyama stared. Tears were streaming down Hinata's cheeks.

" _Please_ —" Hinata's voice cracked on the end, and he practically collapsed into himself. He was just as loud a crier as he was on the court. He stumbled, burying his face in his sleeve and trying to scrub away the snot and tears staining his face.

Kageyama's hands hovered in the air in front of him. His throat closed up when he tried to say something—even though he had no idea what he was going to say. He swallowed, feeling his chest tighten and his blood race. His heart was pounding.

He took one step forward and wrapped his hand behind Hinata's head, pulling his face to his chest. He buried his nose in his orange locks in an attempt to fight his embarrassment.

"U-um," he stammered, then cursed, " _shit_ , um. I-it's... okay. Because I'm... here." _Fuck, he was really bad at this._ "Look, uh, H-Hinata, um—"

"Kageyama."

He glanced down. Hinata leaned up, their noses bumping, and Kageyama's mind went blank once he felt the warm press of Hinata's lips against his.

It was, in all senses of the word, _awkward_. Hinata didn't really know how to kiss (but, neither did Kageyama), and once he pulled away, both their faces were as red as the sky during a sunset.

Kageyama spluttered, jumping backwards and throwing his arm over his face. "W-W-WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, DUMBASS!!" he shouted, voice echoing off the walls, his voice cracking in the middle of his sentence and only making his face grow darker.

Hinata was shaking. "I-I DON'T KNOW!!!" he exclaimed. "I-IS THAT _NOT_ WHAT YOU WANTED ME TO DO???"

"I—" Kageyama cut himself off, and slowly glanced to the side to avoid Hinata's gaze. "—didn't _hate_ it..."

Hinata audibly swallowed. "U-um," he said shakily. "Me... neither."

They were both turning away from each other, steam practically fizzing from their ears from how red and humiliated they both felt. Kageyama folded his arms across his chest and inhaled shakily.

" _So_ , uh—" he said, voice coming out high-pitched. "What now?"

"We can... kiss again?"

"Uh—! Um, o-okay. Sure. Yeah."

Hinata and Kageyama turned to face each other fully, and Kageyama thwacked his hands onto Hinata's shoulders. Confused, Hinata's hands slowly made their way to Kageyama's waist, and Kageyama tried his best not to look like _he had no idea what he was doing_ as he leaned in.

Just before their lips met, Hinata suddenly stopped moving, and ducked his head until his chin was leaning on Kageyama's shoulder. Confused, he was just about to break away, but then Hinata gripped his hips tighter as a silent demand to quit moving.

" _Don't. Move._ " His voice was grave, dreadfully tight.

All of a sudden, Kageyama felt _eyes_ burning holes into his back. He felt his fingers tremble as he tightened his grip on Hinata's shoulders. Hinata wasn't moving, wasn't _breathing_ , but Kageyama could feel the tremors in his muscles, the minuscule shaking of his body.

"Get ready to run when I say," Hinata whispered.

Kageyama started. "Huh? Why?"

He could _hear_ Hinata roll his eyes. "Idiot. There's a door a bit ways to the left. If we make a break for it, we _might_ be able to make it."

"...Okay," Kageyama breathed. "When do we go?"

Hinata was silent for a long while. Kageyama just barely felt his grip on his hips loosen when he suddenly whisper-yelled, " _Now!_ "

Startled by the sudden demand, it took Kageyama a few seconds to regain his bearings and make a break for it. Hinata was in front of him, dashing as fast he could against the ground despite the little visibility, and it almost looked like he was about to fall—

"KAGEYAMA!!"

He whirled around, and something dug through his stomach.

" _NO!!_ "

Time seemed to be frozen as he fell on the ground, staring up at the ceiling dizzily. Nothing felt real. His mind was blank, static, filled with white noise. A figure loomed above him, baring its teeth, its milky white eyes coming closer, closer, closer...

In his blurred vision, he saw a whirlwind of fire blaze upon the monstrous figure above him. His heart was pounding so loudly he could barely hear the monster's shriek of pain and Hinata's angry sobs. In his shaking hands, Hinata held two unlit matches. Water dripped from them.

There was a dying shriek, following by a rush of wind and in that wind what looked like a screaming face rushed through. Then it was gone, and Kageyama's reality came crashing down on him.

Hinata was kneeling beside him, sobbing and choking over his own words as he tried pressing his hands down on Kageyama's stomach. Blood poured from the wound, staining his shirt and jacket and the ground around him. He trembled, his head shaking and vision filling with white as he tried to lean up to look. Hinata hurriedly pushed him back down, his shaking, blood-covered hands coming to rest upon his cheeks.

"I-it's okay," he assured, his voice barely audible. "It's o-okay. You—you're gonna be alright, okay?"

Kageyama trusted him. He nodded.

Hinata took a deep breath, running his hands through his hair despite the fact that they were covered in Kageyama's blood. He puffed out his cheeks as he exhaled, and then stood.

" _Alright_ , um," Hinata started, trying to calm himself down, "I'm gonna pick you up and carry you on my back, okay? It... might not work very well, but I'm gonna _try_. I'm not gonna leave you here, okay?"

"W-why not—leave me?" Kageyama wheezed out. "W-we left—Kuroo-san."

Hinata shook his head firmly. "No. _We_ didn't. That wasn't our decision."

He placed his hand underneath Kageyama's neck, helping him sit up gently. Kageyama started, letting out a gasp of pain as he moved the wrong way. Hinata winced, but decided to go the distance and help him stand. Kageyama hunched over, clutching his stomach and grimacing at the blood that spilled over his fingertips and down to the ground. His arms were shaking as Hinata urged him to lean against his back. Once he did, Hinata bit his lip and forced Kageyama to jump upwards, and grabbed onto the back of his thighs to keep him there. He wasn't entirely strong, but he wasn't _weak_ either—although Kageyama's weight was a _little_ much and the blood seeping onto the back of his clothes made him shiver, he managed to steady Kageyama on him and trudged forward.

His steps were slow, but they were careful, and soon Hinata managed to get the door open.

What met him was sunlight and a chilling breeze.

 

* * *

 

He trailed behind the others on the way back to camp.

"Kenma," called a voice from up ahead. "Kenma?"

The voice sounded far-off, like he was in an entirely different existential plane than the others. His chest was tight, his hands were balled into fists at his sides, his body was moving on its own—he had no _control_.

 

> _"YOU LEFT HIM!! YOU LEFT HIM!!! YOU LEFT HIM TO DIE!!!!"_

 

He glanced up at the people surrounding him with a look of contempt. His fingers were twitching. They were the people who _killed_ Kuroo. Killed the _one_ person who understood him, who loved him, who stayed by side through every step of the way.

Kuroo had been that person, but now he was gone.

_he's dead he's dead we left him they left him he's gone he's gone Kuro is dead he's dead and i'll never see him again oh God Kuro is dead_

"Kenma? Kenma!" A hand went to his shoulder, and he ducked underneath it only to stumble back onto the cold snow.

"Get _away_ from me!" he screamed, throat feeling sore. "Don't _touch_ me!!"

He was falling deep, deep, deeper into chaos and there wasn't a single soul who could keep him grounded. Not anymore. He scratched at his hair, tugging on it and hunching over. He couldn't _breathe_ , couldn't _see_ , couldn't _move_ —he retched, all over the snow, and he swore he could see a little _blood_ in the mix. Kuroo was gone, he was _dead_ , and there was _nothing_ he could do; no begging or crying or screaming could bring him back. They had left him to _die_ and he would probably never see him again—

"Shit, Kenma! Akaashi, help me get him up!!"

His world went dark.

 

* * *

 

Yachi gripped her shoulder, leaning against the wall and wincing. Across the room, Kiyoko was hurriedly working on bringing a dying player back to consciousness. She watched her move, eyes fixed on her in awe, and decided to go help her—

—but then the doors swung open and people were gasping.

Takeda-sensei stood there, looking frantic. Yachi jumped up, ignoring the searing pain from her wound, as Takeda stepped out of the way to let in three more figures through. Akaashi and Bokuto from Fukurodani, carrying a limp Kenma from Nekoma in their arms.

Yachi stared. Hadn't there been _others_ with them when they left?

"Takeda-sensei!" Kiyoko exclaimed, though her concentration with the dying player never faltered.

Takeda was at her side immediately, not speaking a word as he set to work helping her. While Kiyoko discussed the player's condition to the only adult who bothered to come back, Yachi made her way towards the others who had come along with them.

Akaashi was trying to wake up Kenma. Yachi knelt down, running her hands over Kenma's forehead. "What happened?" she asked breathlessly.

"I-I think he was having a panic attack," Bokuto replied, far too loudly. His entire being was a mess. "He suddenly passed out!!"

Yachi nodded. "Lay him down. I don't think he passed out because of the attack," she instructed, using her good arm to help lay him down across the floor. She brushed a bit of hair away from his mouth before taking a deep breath. "Perhaps from shock. Or dehydration. What happened out there?"

Akaashi and Bokuto glanced at each other. "It's a long story," they said in unison.

Yachi looked up at the sky through the glass doors of the lodge. "Well," she muttered, shrugging one-shouldered, "from the looks of it, I have time. So spill."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [tumblr](http://saltyiwaizumi.tumblr.com/)


	18. Chapter 18

Before Yaku even opened his eyes, all he felt was cold and wind. He groaned, feeling an arm around his shoulders shift, and blearily blinked his eyes open.

What met them was a sight to behold—snow billowing across the sky in a chaotic windstorm, the thickness and intensity making it practically impossible to see.

"W-what the _hell?_ " Yaku stammered, breaking out of Noya's hold and scooting backwards. "How—how long were we out?" He had to raise his voice just to make it audible over the roar of the blizzard.

"When the _fuck_ did this storm get here?" Tanaka raged.

"An hour maybe?" Noya guessed breathlessly, holding his arm over his face in an attempt to squint through the heavy snow. The wind battered against his face, snow piling in his hair and clothes and springing wetness to the corners of his eyes.

"An _hour!?_ " Yaku cried incredulously. "What _time_ is it even?"

"No way to tell with this damn blizzard!" Tanaka exclaimed. "Where did it even _come_ from? I can't see shit!"

Yaku cursed under his breath as he wobbled his way to his feet, his ankle screaming a painful protest once he leaned on it. He propped himself up with the nearby tree, pulling the hood of his jacket over his head and tugging it down to shield his eyes from the racing wind. He leaned back to grab Noya's hand and help him up, Tanaka following quickly.

"I can't see _anything_..." he muttered, mostly to himself. "What are we going to do!?"

"No idea!" Noya replied unhelpfully. "But, do you think _this_ is why the rangers can't get us until tomorrow?"

"What?" Yaku asked, turning his head and furrowing his brows.

"Well," Noya tried, waving his hands in front of him, "the blizzard! The storm! They knew it was coming and that it would be this intense! Maybe they didn't want to risk sending up rescue teams if this storm would just block everything."

"That—" Yaku cut himself off from whatever protest threatened to leave his lips, and paused. And, honestly, "Wow. That... would explain some things."

"That's _bullshit!_ " Tanaka shouted. "Why not come get us _before_ the blizzard was gonna come!?"

Noya gave a shrug.

"I said _some_ things," mumbled Yaku.

Noya glanced down at the way Yaku was limping and leaning against the tree. He raked his eyes up and down the other. "Is something wrong with your ankle?"

Instinctively, Yaku looked down at said ankle, turning it slightly to observe the red claw marks lining the skin. "Bastard scratched and pulled on it," he grumbled, locking his jaw. "Pretty sure it's sprained."

"Huh. Can you walk?"

"Slowly, but yeah," Yaku nodded, shrugging one shoulder.

Tanaka took a step forward, lifting his tattered jacket to shield himself from the violent wind. "We should head back to the lodge. It'll be safer there." He glanced all around, grimacing at the lack of sunlight even though he was sure the sun would be rising already. He couldn't even see a foot in front of him with all the snow. " _Fuck_ ," he cursed under his breath. "If we don't get somewhere _fast_ , we're gonna get lost and die out here."

"Ryuu's right," Noya agreed, nodding. He quickly turned to Yaku and, without a sliver of hesitation, held his arms out and said, "I'll carry you."

Immediately Yaku opened his mouth to protest, but once he nearly slipped on a patch of snow and his ankle decided to give an unfriendly reminder on just how badly it was injured, he sighed in defeat and shook his head.

"You know what, I'll take you up on that offer."

The grin Noya flashed him was bright enough to light their way home.

 

* * *

 

"I swear, just a few hours ago I was tossing to Iwa-chan..." Oikawa muttered, mostly to himself, almost angrily flipping through the pages of the journal. "Who the hell even _wrote_ this?"

Iwaizumi leaned over to glance at the page he was on. "Maybe it has a name somewhere."

"I tried looking for it, but—" Oikawa cut himself off with a huff, furrowing his eyebrows. He sighed, throwing one hand in the air and waving it in exasperation. "Maybe whoever wrote it wanted to remain anonymous. Are they even still _alive?_ " Curiously, he flipped to the final page in the journal, only to discover it blank. The last six pages of the journal were empty, the one before it only half-completed. "Huh..."

"Anything useful?" Iwaizumi inquired.

"Mmm..." Oikawa hummed, flipping though pages and skimming their contents. He pointed to a section at the top of one, leaning closer towards Iwaizumi. "This here. It says that wendigos can recognize their prey."

Iwaizumi blinked. "What does _that_ mean?"

Oikawa shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe the monsters know who we are now. Or at least can recognize our patterns, maybe."

"Great," Iwaizumi groaned. "Like your fangirls but worse."

Oikawa snorted, covering his mouth with his hand. "My fangirls are _loyal_ , thank you!"

"Right."

"You're just _jealous_ you have none."

"I'm not really worried about fangirls right now."

Oikawa bit his lower lip. "Yeah..." he sighed. "I guess."

Iwaizumi let out a slow breath. "Does it say anything about how to get _out_ of here? These mines are basically a death trap."

Oikawa pursed his lips, shaking his head, turning back one page. "Umm... no. There _has_ to be some way, though."

After a few moments, Iwaizumi was about to take the journal to search for himself, but he froze in place once he heard the telltale screech echoing through the cavern. His fingers twitched, and he looked up at Oikawa with a startled expression.

"Oh, _fuck_ ," Oikawa cursed, tightening his grip on the journal and struggling to even breathe.

Iwaizumi took a deep breath, his hands reaching up to grab onto Oikawa's sleeve. He tugged the other into a corner of the cavern, blocked off by a man-made wooden wall. From the holes of the wall, he could see the familiar spiny figure crawling over the walls and growling low in its throat as it stalked around the area. Oikawa's breath hitched and caught in his throat, and he wrapped a hand around his mouth to conceal any sudden gasps or noises. The wendigo strayed a bit, seemingly sniffing out the area, and then darted away across the ceiling.

Oikawa let his hand drop, and exhaled shakily. He leaned his head back, bumping it against the rocky mine wall. "Shit..." he whispered.

Iwaizumi ran a hand through his hair. "You okay?"

Oikawa gave a short laugh, and shook his frantically. "No. No, not in the slightest."

"Didn't think so," Iwaizumi breathed, and peeked out past the wooden wall. "I think we're okay." As he stepped out, he kept one hand on the wall, looking towards both sides of the mines.

"Iwa-chan, look at this."

He turned, and noticed that Oikawa was looking completely upwards. Following his gaze, his eyes widened once he saw the hole in the ceiling. He could hear the faint roar of wind from above, some even leading down to the mine through the hole.

"Can we fit through there?" Iwaizumi asked quickly, rolling up his sleeves.

"Probably," Oikawa gasped, and then squatted down. "C'mon, I'll give you a boost, and you pull me up."

Iwaizumi gripped onto Oikawa's shoulder, carefully placing his left foot in Oikawa's clasped hands. Using his right, he pushed himself off the ground, feeling Oikawa's weight push into his. He jumped, grabbing onto the edge of the hole. Struggling, he swung his arm over the edge, managing to lift his head over. What he saw was a cluttered and ruined building, almost like a hospital. He grunted, swinging his other arm around, and pulled himself up to lift the rest of his body. Once he was safely above, he took a deep breath, and leaned his arm down to grab onto Oikawa.

Oikawa leaped upwards, gripping onto Iwaizumi's wrist. The latter jolted at the sudden weight, but grounded himself, holding onto Oikawa's arm with two hands and lifting him until his head was above the hole.

"Ugh, you're heavy," he complained.

Oikawa rolled his eyes at him, shifting his arm above the hole and pulling himself above it. He swung his legs over, and then plopped on his back on the ground with a sigh. He threw his arm over his eyes, letting his limbs stretch out across the ground.

Iwaizumi sat beside him, and he let his hand fall to Oikawa's, tracing the cuts on his palm. He took the time to glance all around at the inside of the building. It was wrecked, and dirty, and through the high window on the end of the hallway he could see a rage of snow and wind outside, hardly visible. Grimacing, he climbed to his feet and wiped himself off.

A dirty old sign caught his eye, the bottom of it partially ruined. " _Narahashi Sanatorium—Psychiatric Ward_..." he read aloud, nearly to himself.

"'Narahashi'?" Oikawa repeated, sitting up. "That name was on a few signs here and there."

"Weird..." Iwaizumi mumbled. "What's a sanatorium doing in an old mountain?"

"Why is there a gym and camp here?" Oikawa countered with a smirk.

Iwaizumi shrugged, and absentmindedly outstretched his hand for Oikawa to take. Once he did, he tugged him up, grabbing his arm to steady him when he wobbled. The ambiance of the sanatorium was disturbing and eldritch, though calm at the same time. The thunder of the wind and snow from outside was almost serene, a welcome distraction from the terrors they were facing. Iwaizumi preferred it over the telltale screech of the wendigo.

It wasn't until too late that he noticed Oikawa trailing towards one of the back room, until he disappeared past the doorway.

"Hey—" he called out, but to no avail. "Idiot," he grumbled under his breath as he stomped towards the room. Swinging the slightly ajar door fully open, he turned his head from side to side until he spotted Oikawa rummaging through a stack of files.

"Iwa-chan, look at this!" he exclaimed, not turning his head once Iwaizumi walked up to him. Oikawa pointed down toward the file, skimming across the page and pointing at a certain section.

 

**_MINER MEDICAL REPORT_ **

_ATTENDING PHYSICIAN: N. Kakani_

_MEDICAL REPORT: Report follows re: the initial state of the sixteen miners after the collapse of the mine, and subsequent rescue, at Narahashi Mountain._

_ADMITTANCE: On receipt of the sixteen patients at the Sanatorium's medical facility, we had fully expected to find emaciated shells of men, starved and confused. Thankfully, the miners appear cogent and relatively healthy, attributed to their apparent discovery of emergency food supplies in the mine. Inhibited respiratory function was detected in a few of the older men, as predicted, as well as symptoms of pneumonia._

_Psychologically, after being trapped for 23 days, the shock of reintegration has been difficult for some of the group. Though their outward health is better than expected, they do seem affected by their time in the mine._

_TREATMENT: Due to the delicate nature of some of the patients, we have closed off the A Wing of the Sanatorium. Psychological evaluation will take place as soon as possible. The men with respiratory problems have undergone a bronchoscopy, and are prescribed a course of streptomycin. The others are simply kept under strict, 24-hour observation._

_\- N. Kakani MD_

 

Oikawa turned to Iwaizumi with raised eyebrows. "What does this mean?"

Iwaizumi shrugged. "I heard somethin' about miners getting trapped in the mines, but all there was were horror stories about it." Then he paused, furrowing his eyebrows. "I guess those horror stories were in good taste."

Oikawa flipped the page over to the back.

 

_One of the bastards tried to bite me! I'm telling Dr. Kakani!_

 

Curious, he pulled out the journal and flipped to a random page. Skimming his eyes across the contents, he eventually found what he was looking for and tapped on Iwaizumi's arm, pointing out the section to him.

 

_The Wendigo grows out of CANNIBALISM! When a human is desperate and craves food, trapped on the mountain in the fierce winter storms, when they have eaten nothing for many days, the Wendigo spirit will begin to possess them. Even the strongest man is weak to it. They will kill without remorse - often those companions who have travelled with him. They will eat the flesh raw from the corpses._

 

"Is that why there's so many of these things?" Oikawa whispered. "Are these wendigos the miners!?"

Without waiting for Iwaizumi's reply, he ventured forth across the desk, flipping open files and tossing them aside when they weren't what he wanted. Eventually, he made it to one file that he had to wipe away dust and dirt to read. He placed it in the direction of the little light in the room, scooting over so Iwaizumi could read with him.

 

**_INITIAL REPORT_ **

_The patients were first admitted to Narahashi's medical facility 5 days ago. During this time we have run a number of tests, both physiological and psychological._

_The results have been extraordinary; in contravention of common medical expectations._

 

**_SYMPTOMS OBSERVED_ **

_\- Pallor._

_\- Skin dyspigmentation._ _Severe vitamin D deficiency._

_\- Social dysfunction._

_\- Longer than average re-adaptation period post-traumatic event._ _Interpersonal behavior 'erratic.'_ _Violence towards orderlies._ _3 attempted assaults._ _1 attempted scratching._

 

**_SYMPTOMS EXPECTED BUT NOT OBSERVED_ **

_\- Malnutrition/scurvy. Avg. Quetelet Index_

_\- was only within -3% of normal expected values (They should be DEAD!)_

_\- Frostbite_

_\- Patient's stimulus response within acceptable bounds (130-410ms)_

 

**_SUGGESTED ACTION_ **

_Place under strict observation. Restraint strongly recommended. Change from 1 orderly to 3 orderlies. 24h/day observation._

 

"What the _fuck_ ," Iwaizumi whispered. He leaned back a little as Oikawa flipped to the next pages.

"The miners were trapped underground for _weeks_ ," Oikawa said, eyes wide. "They... they _must've_ resorted to—"

" _Stop_. Stop, oh my God." Iwaizumi put his hands in the air and covered his mouth, turning away and stalking towards the other side of the room. He felt like vomiting. Angry tears gathered in the corners of his eyes.

Oikawa's breathing was shaky as he picked up the file underneath it. Once he opened it, what met him was an old, black-and-white photo of a man—looking tired and malnourished. Underneath it read,

 

_April 15, 1950_

_Day 4_

_\- Epidermal dyspigmentation; expected after time underground_

_\- S_ _evere curvature of thoracic region; post traumatic kyphosis?_

_\- Corneal dystrophy and clouding._

_\- Acuity 20/160_

 

On the next page, it was another photo of the same man. Except, this time, his lips were wider and formed into a slight frown. The man's shoulders were all bony and beginning to disfigure. His eyes were swirled and tinged with something dark. His hair was scalding and his skin was tight. Underneath the photo was a scribble of writing:

 

_April 20, 1950_

_Day 9_

_\- Chronic kyphosis_

_\- Scarring alopecia_

_\- Extreme nasal septum perforation_

_\- Ectodermal dysplasia? (pointing of teeth)_

 

Oikawa's fingers trembled when he flipped to the final page, a scribble of notes all around the photo in the center—the same man, except this time growling at the camera with half his face torn to show a row of bared teeth. His eyes were dead white, his skin impossibly pale. The photo itself was blurry, as if the man had lunged towards the photographer mid-take. All around the page read,

 

_April 23, 1950_

_Day 12_

_-Telogen effluvium, not alopecia?_

_\- Maxillary canine length 1"_

_\- Consistent w/ corneal oedema but acuity now 20/22_

_\- Epidermal toughening; stratum corneum_

 

"Oh God..." he whispered shakily. He dropped the file in a hurry, nearly pushing it off the desk. Stumbling back, he wrapped his arms around himself and hunched over. "Fuck!" he cursed, covering his face with his hands.

Iwaizumi was by his side instantly. He put his hands on his shoulders, trailing upwards until his thumbs were brushing against his cheekbones. Oikawa let his hands fall from his face, and he exhaled shakily. He shivered, flipping his hair out of his face, and gave Iwaizumi a soft smile.

"This is like a movie," he said quietly. "Or a video game."

"What a shitty game," Iwaizumi deadpanned.

"The miners _turned_ into the monsters—the wendigos," Oikawa said, eyebrows raising. "And who knows _who_ else. That's why there's so many."

"Well," Iwaizumi mumbled, "if this was the origin of most of them, then there should be a few straying around here. We should try to find the exit."

"But it looks like it's a blizzard outside," Oikawa replied, blinking owlishly.

"Better than staying in here with scary monsters, right?" Iwaizumi almost laughed.

"...I guess."

 

* * *

 

Yamaguchi idly twirled the bullets between his fingers, shifting in place beside Tsukishima. Most people around him were distracted, or asleep, and the roar of the blizzard outside made it difficult for him to even hear his own thoughts.

"Y-Yamaguchi?" he heard a familiar voice call. When he looked up, he saw a tearful Bokuto staring down at him. "I—I thought you _died_ , what... What _happened!?_ "

He blinked, confused, but then it hit him. The reason _why_ he had been alone in the mines was because he had been dragged away by a wendigo, effectively separating him from the rest of his group. He had escaped on his own, and there was no doubt that the others had looked for him, only to never find him.

"I—yeah," Yamaguchi stammered, rising to his feet. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Akaashi glancing up to watch them from the other side of the room. "Um, I managed to break free after being dragged, and I jumped down a hole... A-After that, I was, um, going through this _weird_ building... thing. I got the door open, but then there was an _explosion_... and—and I was..." He paused, struggling to recollect his memory. "I was—uh, falling down this _cliff_. I-I-I landed on the ground, and then—" He turned to look at Tsukishima with wide eyes. "—Tsukki found me..."

"Holy shit," Bokuto whispered. "You broke _free_ of a wendigo's grip, survived an _explosion_ , fell down a _goddamn_ cliff, and you can _still_ walk!?"

When Yamaguchi hesitantly nodded, Bokuto let out a wild hoot of laughter.

"Holy _fuck_ , dude!! You're so hardcore!!"

"He _shouldn't_ be walking," Tsukishima countered, narrowing his eyes. "He got severely hurt."

"He's more badass than _you_ , Tsukki," Bokuto scoffed before Yamaguchi could say anything.

Tsukishima raised an eyebrow, and then, of all things, smirked. "I know."

 

* * *

 

"There's... so much _blood_ ," Oikawa whispered, glancing all around at the floors and walls. Doors ripped off hinges, discarded clothing all over the ground, dirt and water staining the floor. It was like a horror movie.

"Those goddamn wendigos definitely stay here," Iwaizumi sighed.

"Oh, joy," Oikawa grumbled. He looked up at the ceiling. "How the _hell_ are we gonna find the exit?"

They turned the corner, and Oikawa's disgruntled expression turned into a deadpan. Across the hall was a giant, gaping hole in the wall, leading outside. The howl of the wind was deafening, the blaze of snow across the sky making it impossible to see further than a few inches. Some snow was trailing inside, a cold wind making Iwaizumi and Oikawa hold onto themselves and shudder.

"That's annoyingly convenient," Oikawa muttered. "There's _no_ way it can be this easy. There's gotta be _something_ —"

As if on cue, a raging screech echoed through the halls.

Oikawa blanched. "There it is."

"Fuck!" Iwaizumi cursed, whirling around to look behind him. A wendigo was crawling all over the walls, taking short hops closer and closer towards the pair. Its eyes were trained right on them. Iwaizumi grabbed onto Oikawa's hand. "Run! C'mon! We can lose it in the blizzard!"

Sprinting down the hall, Oikawa ignored the protesting of his limbs as he struggled to keep up with Iwaizumi's speed. The latter was ahead of him, tugging him along by the hold on his hand. Oikawa huffed, slowing down slightly when he turned to look behind him. The wendigo was drawing nearer, its long, bony limbs stretching out across the floor as it darted closer and closer and _closer_ —

He felt nails on the back of his head, and screamed once he was pulled backwards.

"Shit!" Iwaizumi gasped, skidding to a halt once he felt Oikawa's hand leave his. Whirling around, his eyes widened once he saw Oikawa being held up by one of the wendigo's claws, his legs dangling. His eyes were wide and wet, and he struggled and screamed against the monster's grip, pulling at its fingers and trying to pry them away. The monster only tightened its grip, and Oikawa choked.

Iwaizumi didn't hesitate to bound towards him. He inhaled sharply once he saw blood, and picked up the pace until he was glaring up directly in the wendigo's face. "You're even uglier up close," he spat, and jammed his elbow into the side of the monster's face.

The attack didn't do much, but it did end up loosening its grip on Oikawa. Iwaizumi grabbed onto him, holding his slumped body in his arms and hurriedly dragging him away. Oikawa stirred, blinking up blearily at Iwaizumi, and hopped onto both of his feet.

"Go! Run!!" Iwaizumi cried, pushing Oikawa towards the outside. When Oikawa tried to protest, he shook his head. "Go! _Now!!_ "

Once Oikawa was running— _limping_ —as best he could, Iwaizumi followed after him. He felt a claw dig into his back, and cried out with a gasp. Iwaizumi stumbled forward, feeling the terrifying and ever-growing presence of the monster behind him. A pair of claws gripped onto his shoulders, and _pulled_ , like he was being torn in half. He screamed, gritting his teeth.

Then, suddenly, it stopped. He heard loud gunshots echoing through the halls, but he couldn't move. As the pain in his back and the roar of the blizzard became more and more deafening, through bleary eyes he could see Oikawa running back to help him up. The gunshots behind him continued, followed by a loud, familiar laugh.

He only saw Oikawa leaning down to shout at him before everything went dark.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> disclaimer: i have no idea what anything in the files oikawa found mean. i took them from the game and implemented this fic's dates & information in it.
> 
>  
> 
> [tumblr](http://saltyiwaizumi.tumblr.com/)


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER IS SHORT BUT I SWEAR THE NEXT ONE WILL BE LONGER
> 
> _I SWEAR_
> 
> (also, this story will be wrapped up in the next few chapters.)

"Oh, this is _so_ not fair," Hinata groaned. He heaved Kageyama farther up his back, wincing at the muffled groan of pain the half-conscious Kageyama gave in return.

The blizzard that hit him as soon as he escaped had nearly made him drop Kageyama on the way down the sloped part of the mountain. Once he had made it to the ground, the sun was covered by clouds and snow was battering down against his skin. He had eventually stopped against a tree to wait it out, but once he realized that it was most likely going to last a while, he threw his hood over his head and trudged forward.

In this kind of weather, he assumed the wendigos wouldn't be able to make it very far. Unless their advanced attributes and hardened skin made them indomitable to snow as well.

Hinata cursed under his breath. Kageyama's weight pressing against his back made him heave forward. His arms burned with the effort of keeping him up. "You good there, Kageyama-kun?" When said boy only gave a noncommittal grunt in reply, Hinata grinned—albeit nervously. "Yeah, me too. Just stay conscious, okay?"

He assumed the lodge wasn't too far, although he wasn't sure in all the snow. When he was being dragged away he couldn't tell how long and how far he was going, only the intensity of the creature holding onto him and the tightness of the grip.

Hinata took a deep breath and squinted, gritting his teeth against the cold. All of his nerves were standing on edge, and his muscles were begging for a break, just to let Kageyama down once—but he refused.

In the distance, he could see a shadow, and he froze in place immediately.

" _Fuck_ ," he hissed under his breath, his own voice practically inaudible over the roar of the storm.

The shadow split into two more, and through the annoying thickness of the snow he could see that one looked like it was on the back of another. The taller shadow loomed, turning its head until it was looking _straight_ at Hinata.

Hinata turned to make a break for it—as fast as he could with the injured Kageyama on him—but what made him stop was the ever so _human_ call of _Wait!_

He paused, mouth parting. When he exhaled, his eyes widened and a snowflake hit him right in the eye. As he tried to furiously wipe his eye with his shoulder, the shadows began hurriedly charging towards him, jumping over obstacles and trudging their way through the mass of snow.

"Shouyou!" came a familiar voice. "Holy _shit!_ "

Never had the sound of Noya's voice been so comforting. Hinata felt tears come to his eyes (and it wasn't just because of the snowflake).

Once they were in view, Hinata let out an excited laugh. He took a deep breath once he heard Kageyama's sharp inhale, and tried to bite back a howl of giggles. Instead, he replaced them with a large smile.

On Noya's back was Yaku, his pant leg rolled up to reveal a bruised and cut ankle. He waved halfheartedly, and then Hinata saw the way his eyes moved towards the heap on Hinata's back.

"Is that—"

"Help me," Hinata begged before he could finish, hanging his head.

Tanaka moved forward first, stepping over a stray log to stand beside Hinata. Hinata shifted Kageyama until he was nearly all the way up to Hinata's shoulders, and Tanaka hurried to cup his hands underneath his thighs and shift him over to rest on Tanaka's back. Kageyama groaned, tensing up and inhaling sharply, until he hesitantly slumped down, his body cold.

Frowning, Hinata shrugged off his coat and stood on his toes in order to throw it around Kageyama's back.

"He's got you _whipped_ ," Noya laughed.

"Says the one carrying someone on his back," Hinata countered, not even turning to look at him.

"Ha!" Yaku laughed.

Noya frowned. "I would've carried Asahi on my back," he mumbled, whispering under his breath.

Yaku and Hinata caught it, however, and glanced over at him in alarm. After a few moments, the air settled into something uncomfortable, and Yaku cleared his throat in order to dissipate it.

"Hinata, how'd you get out here?" he asked curiously, shifting his position atop Noya.

Hinata pursed his lips, stretching out his arms now that Tanaka was busy trying to adjust Kageyama further onto his back. "I was dragged down to the mines by one of those _goddamn_ monsters."

Noya gasped, scandalized. "Hinata Shouyou, don't you use that type of language with me!"

Hinata blinked, and furrowed his eyebrows. "Wh—"

"Wait, if you found Kageyama," Tanaka broke in, "does that mean you found the others? Were they okay?"

Hinata closed his mouth slowly and thought back to the events in the mine. He felt the hairs on his arms stick up and goosebumps form all over his skin, and raised his arm to shield his eyes from the strong blizzard. The others were planted behind trees, trying to hide themselves from the whirl of wind and chill.

"Yeah!" Hinata replied, moving closer towards Noya. "I mean... well—" He swallowed, and fought back a shiver. "They said that Daichi and Yamaguchi had been lost! And we got _separated_ , and— _fuck_... Kuroo-san..."

Tanaka blinked. "Yamaguchi is back at the lodge!"

"Huh!?"

"Yeah, we found him laying in the snow and brought him back," Noya replied. "Looked like he had one hell of a journey."

"Daichi's gone too?" Tanaka questioned.

Hinata nodded. "He probably got out like Yamaguchi though. Bokuto-san and Akaashi-san got out with Kenma!"

"What about the other guy? Kuroo?"

"He—uh," Hinata tried, his voice suddenly cutting out. "The—a wendigo... got him. I... think he's okay?"

"Fuck," Yaku quickly said. " _Fuck!_ If that son of a bitch isn't okay I'm gonna _kick_ his ass."

Noya frowned. "I think that defeats the purpose."

Yaku smacked him. " _You_ shut up."

"Yeah, if you kick his ass, he won't be able to get better—"

" _You_ especially shut up, Shorty."

 

* * *

 

His eyes darted from person to person, pressing his knees to his chest and feeling his heart beating rapidly against his chest. He swallowed, tightening his grip around his legs, and dug his fingernails into his arms. Through his sleeves, he could feel the press of nails, and buried his face in his arms. His entire body was shaking, and no matter how hard he tried to stop it, his mind continued to drift towards the mines.

He could hear the screams clearly in his head. Could see the scene as bright as day. The roar of the storm outside the lodge gradually died down and the screaming in his head got louder and louder.

All he could hear was Kuroo telling him he loved him, in a weak, cracking voice. Saying it like it was the last thing he would ever say.

Kenma sniffled. Tears were welling in his eyes and pouring down his cheeks, dripping off his nose and pattering against the fabric of his jeans. He wanted to scream, wanted to tear at his hair and cry as loud and as hard as he could—his throat burned just at the thought of it. Whenever he tried to choke out a sob or a word, all that came out was a faint gasp or a weak wheeze. All the screaming at Bokuto and Akaashi wore down his voice into nothing.

"Hey," he heard a soft voice say. Peeking up, he saw the faint form of Karasuno's manager looking down seriously at him. "Is this seat taken?" She pointed to the spot beside Kenma.

He swallowed, and shook his head lightly. Peeking to the side, he noticed the player she had been attended to before was sitting up and talking to someone from Fukurodani—he couldn't remember the name.

"My name is Kiyoko," the manager said, and he turned slightly to face her. She was so pretty it intimidated him. "You are Kozume Kenma, right?" When he didn't answer, she continued. "Your friends up there told me what happened," she said, pointing up towards Bokuto and Akaashi (who were standing up against the wall, strangely close to one another; it made Kenma scowl).

"I'll—bet they told you they did what they thought was right," Kenma wheezed out, his voice scarily weak.

When Kiyoko didn't say anything, he thought she didn't hear him. Just when he was about to repeat himself, she suddenly spoke up, "They did."

He clicked his tongue.

"Then they said they regretted their decision."

Shocked, Kenma lifted his head and stared wide-eyed at Bokuto and Akaashi, before swinging his gaze towards Kiyoko. Her look was soft, despite the coldness of her eyes.

"Kuroo-san, I believe?" she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Akaashi-san said he was _very_ close to you. Leaving him behind was a mistake, and they both regret it, very much so."

He had nothing to say. His mind was blank. Jaw dropped and eyes wide, he stammered a few times, his throat on fire.

"You know... someone who I cherish dearly," Kiyoko started, inhaling shakily, "was hurt _very_ badly. I thought she might not make it. She... still might not make it."

Kenma blinked a few times, and then scowled. "You got to carry her back," he whispered. "She's here with you."

"...She is."

Kenma bit his lip and brought his knees to his chest again, turning his head away from the girl beside him. He heard her shift, and furrowed his eyebrows, focusing his gaze on the two on the other side of the room. It was the tall one from Karasuno Hinata was always complaining about and his smaller friend—they were both laughing with each other and holding hands. The sight made him nauseous, and he clasped a hand over his stomach.

"Kiyoko—" called a feminine voice, but cut itself off with a faint inhale. Kenma glanced up, and saw the other manager from Karasuno. The blood against her shoulder bandage was more prominent, but oddly enough, she seemed to be getting around just fine.

"Yes, Hitoka?" Kiyoko asked, her worried look switching to one of complete adoration in less than a second. Kenma noticed the way her fingertips brushed against Yachi's hand, subtle but careful.

"We're out of bandages," Yachi said, furrowing her brows. "I don't know what else to use—"

Kiyoko cut her off by throwing off her coat and ripping off a part of her sleeve. "Use this for now. I'll go see if I can salvage any medical supplies from somewhere in here."

Before she turned to leave, she gave Kenma a faint smile. He didn't return it.

When she left with Yachi, Kenma swallowed down his nausea and let his legs stretch out across the floor. Dropping his hands down to his lap, he picked at his nails and chewed on his lower lip. He could taste blood seeping through from how much he had peeled at the skin, but ignored it. He didn't want to think, didn't want to be awake.

Didn't want to _live_ in a world without Kuroo.

Bokuto and Akaashi had moved, and Kenma found himself cursing the ground they had been occupying. He _knew_ he was being unfair—he _knew_ that they just had wanted what was best. He _knew_ , but he didn't care. He raised his arm and used his sleeve to wipe away a few stray tears. Once they were gone, just before he let his hand fall back to his lap, he looked down at his palm.

His skin was rough and dirty, some of his skin and clothes stained with dried blood. Under his fingernails was dirt and his fingers were covered in scratches. Kenma lifted his other hand, and found it to be in the same state. He could only wonder what his _face_ looked like.

Kenma glanced outdoors, and then down at his hands with a weary frown. Never had he wanted to set a ball to someone as much as right now.

 

* * *

 

Oikawa ran his hands through Iwaizumi's hair, his fingers shaking from the cold seeping through the room. The wind blew through his dirt-coated hair, and he wrapped his arm around himself in an attempt to warm himself up. Blowing into his palms, he licked his lips just before his teeth chattered together. Iwaizumi, his chest rising and falling with each inhale, shifted in his place on Oikawa's lap. His head fitted itself on his thighs, and Oikawa smiled gently as he patted his cheek and leaned against the wall.

"You're gonna be okay, Iwa-chan," he said softly, brushing his thumb underneath his eye. "Your shoulders were popped, but we got them put back into place. You're gonna be _fine_ , okay?" The more he spoke, the more he was trying to convince himself rather than an unconscious Iwaizumi. Oikawa inhaled shakily, willing himself not to cry anymore than he already had.

Instead, he lifted Iwaizumi's hand, swallowing at how cold it felt. He shrugged off his coat, throwing it over Iwaizumi's body. Trying to ignore the worrying roar of the blizzard, Oikawa fumbled around with Iwaizumi's hand and fingers, intertwining them with his own and pressing it against his cheek. He leaned his face against it, turning to plant a soft kiss against his calloused palm.

"We're going to get out of here..." he breathed. "We're gonna get out of here."

Oikawa leaned down, fitting the coat around Iwaizumi's body, trying to cover up as much of him as possible. He smiled.

"We'll get out of here together."

An amused snort echoed through the air. "You're so whipped."

Oikawa scowled and rolled his eyes, leaning back against the wall. "As if you're not just as smitten with _your_ childhood friend."

"Ha, got me there."

A clack of boots against the floor, coming closer and closer. Oikawa sighed as the figure came into view, the light illuminating his figure (as well as the blood). The figure leaned against the wall, struggling to stand on only one leg.

"You look like shit," Oikawa scoffed.

Kuroo snorted, wiping his shirt along the edge of his shotgun. "Always a pleasure, Oikawa."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;)
> 
>  
> 
> [tumblr](http://saltyiwaizumi.tumblr.com/)


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4K WORDS BITCHES I TOLD YALL

_"Leave me."_

_Bokuto was suddenly quiet, mouth dry as he stared incredulously at Kuroo. "W-what? Ha, n-no way, man. I'm not just gonna leave you here!"_

_"Yes—you are," Kuroo managed, shifting to manage a better position against the wall. "You'll never make it in time if you take me with you. Just leave me here, I'll be fine."_

_"You will not be fine," Akaashi protested. "Quit messing around and let's go." He tried to lean down to help him up, but Kuroo all but shoved him away._

_"Leave. Me." Kuroo's voice was firm, almost angry._

_Bokuto seemed to struggle with what he wanted to say, but before he could protest again, Kenma was shoving past him and crawling over towards Kuroo. He swallowed, opening his mouth to say something—but Kuroo cut him off._

_"You did a great job protecting me, kitten," he said, holding up his pinkie to remind him of the promise they made._

_Kenma's eyes went wide, tears spilling down his cheeks. "N-No," he stuttered, shaking his head, and grabbing Kuroo's lifted hand with both of his shaking ones. "No, we—we aren't leaving you."_

_Kuroo sighed, like he was expecting this. "Yes, you are. It'll be fine, I promise—"_

_"Stop promising!" Kenma protested. "You_ promised _to protect me and I_ promised _to protect you." He let out a shuddering breath, hanging his head and pressing his face against Kuroo's chest. "Don't_ leave _me Kuro_ please _you promised—"_

_Kuroo cut him off by lifting his head gently and leaning in to kiss him. Kenma was frozen, stiff as Kuroo tilted his head, fitting his lips properly against Kenma's. Kenma wanted to kiss back, but he couldn't and when Kuroo pulled away, his jaw was agape and his face was red with anger and frustration._

_"I love you."_

_While Kenma was processing it all in his head, his expression shifting from confused to alarmed, Kuroo looked up and nodded at Bokuto, and it wasn't even a few seconds until Kenma was suddenly scooped up in Bokuto's arms and was being pulled away. Frightened and alarmed, Kenma struggled, squirming in Bokuto's arms. Kuroo smiled softly, and then winced when Kenma suddenly started pounding his fists against Bokuto's back._

_"No! NO!!_ PUT ME DOWN!!! _" he screamed at the top of his lungs, grabbing onto the walls and doorways. He was getting more and more out of sight as Bokuto rushed out. "PUT ME DOWN_ NOW!! _NO!! KURO!!_ KURO!! STOP!! _" There was a series of hushed voices, but it was obvious Kenma wasn't listening. "LET GO OF ME LET GO OF ME!!!"_

 _And then he was out of sight, gone,_ safe _. Kuroo exhaled softly, letting his head beat back against the wall behind him. His leg was burning, and when he reached out to grab onto it, blood leaked over his fingers, and he grimaced._

_The screeches in the distance were getting louder, and Kuroo cursed under his breath. He wobbled, trying to make a move to stand, but his leg proved useless. He couldn't even shift his sides without sending shots of pain down the nerves of his leg. He groaned, brushing back his bangs, and let out a slow breath._

_"Fuck," he whispered, turning his head. There was a faint shadow, a darker spot against the dark ground, moving and shuffling slowly. He could hear the small noises in the back of the wendigo's throat, and the scratching of claws against a metal floor._

_Kuroo bit his lip, trying to scoot away from the open door. When a claw suddenly shot out and snatched onto the wall, he froze in place, eyes wide and body unmoving. He felt his hands twitching, goosebumps traveling up his arms._

_The monster that came out was a strange-looking one. Along its arms were black scribbles, almost like they could've been tattoos if the arms were thicker. Its face was marred, and scarred, with what looked like scorch marks lining its form._

_It was staring directly at Kuroo, their eyes meeting._

_Kuroo forced his body still, not daring to even_ breathe _. The wendigo was stalking forward. Then it suddenly jumped to the opposite wall, as if waiting for a response, leering in. It kept its eyes focused on Kuroo, though the latter wasn't sure if it could even see him. He swallowed, feeling a cold bead of sweat trailing down his forehead. It fell off his nose, and he resisted the urge to reach up and wipe it off._

_The eyes on him were unsettling, to say the least. It was almost as if, at any moment, the monster would pounce and he'd be dead._

_Then, in the distance, there was a shuffling sound. The wendigo turned immediately, lifting its head like it was a dog waiting for a treat (in some weird way, Kuroo supposed, it was). It became immediately distracted, running off with a bone-chilling shriek. If whoever (—or, whatever) hadn't moved and made that sound, Kuroo knew he'd be dead._

_Kuroo let go of a breath he didn't even know he had been holding. His head was pounding, his eyesight shaking. His entire body suddenly felt weak, and he slumped over onto the ground without a second thought._

_His world went dark before he could even think._

 

* * *

 

_When Kuroo opened his eyes, he felt empty. His stomach was growling, his head was pounding, and his leg was searing._

_He shifted, moving to sit up, and glared down at his injured, twisted leg. Kuroo grit his teeth, placing both hands on either side of his leg, and shifted. Immediately, a spike of pain overwhelmed him, and he groaned out loud. Hunching forward, Kuroo panted heavily and bit his lip. He ripped off his sweatshirt, struggling to tear off the sleeve. It took him a few moments, but he managed, and set the piece of fabric between his teeth._

_Placing both hands on his leg, he forcefully pushed on it. Kuroo bit down forcefully on the sleeve, screaming into it, tears budding in the corners of his eyes. His leg was almost straight, and in order to push it finally, he would have to make one, large, final move._

_Kuroo took a deep breath, preparing himself, and pushed._

_He screamed, running his hands through his hair and pulling, kicking with his other leg. His chest heaved, the unbearable pain making it difficult to even_ breathe _._

_"Shit!" he shouted, muffled through the fabric, and yanked it out with one hand. Panting, he leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth. "Fuck..."_

_He sat there for who knows how long, listening carefully for any sounds of movement or distant shouting. Once the pain in his leg started to die down even a little, he rolled up his pant leg and wrapped his sweatshirt around the disgusting wound. The teeth marks were prominent, some blood shiny but most dried. He tore his eyes away from it, grunting as he pulled to tighten the knot._

_Sighing, Kuroo brushed his bangs back, stretching out his arms above his head. He moved, tucking his other leg underneath him in one hop, and bit his lip to keep from crying out in pain. His leg was burning, but Kuroo knew it wasn't going to get any better, so he grit his teeth, locked his jaw, and jumped—_

_He shouted out loud, clenching his fists, leaning against the wall to ground himself. His injured leg was propped up, bent at the knee, while his other leg was doing most of the standing. Kuroo turned, pressing his forearm against the cold wall, and shifted. His leg moved forward, limping to take the other with it. His movements were slow, steady, but he was determined._

_He thought of Kenma, and the distraught expression he had made when Bokuto had pulled him away. A part of him regretted making him leave, but another part knew that he would have died if he'd stayed. They all would've. All their fighting and survival had just been dumb luck._

_Now their luck had ran out. It was up to pure, unadulterated skill._

_"Don't know if I have any of_ that _left," Kuroo muttered to nobody but himself._

 

* * *

 

 _Kuroo blinked out at the wide, open space before him. It had turned out that the small area he and the others had explored was just a smaller part of the sanatorium. Narahashi Sanatorium was much,_ much _larger than he had expected._

 _Moving forward, Kuroo looked all around. There was a loud roar outside, and judging from the visibility through the broken windows the snow piling up in the corners of the halls, he assumed it was a blizzard outside. And a_ big _one, at that._

_He stepped forward, turning the corner, and immediately fell onto the ground. Kuroo gasped, crying out loud, and glanced back over his shoulder to see just what the hell he had tripped over._

_His glare softened, and he blinked._

_Kuroo moved to a sitting position, and scooted over to grasp onto the barrel of the shotgun. His mind flashed back to the journal—the section about how shotguns could keep wendigos at bay. He pursed his lips, and felt a grin split across his face._

_Using the edge of the shotgun to prop himself up, he leaned against the wall and flipped open the magazine cap. Inside the shotgun rested two bullets, old but usable. He exhaled in relief, wiping sweat away from his forehead. He made a mental note to search for more ammo during his exploration through the sanatorium, and shifted the shotgun in both of his hands. Using his elbows to move along the wall, Kuroo glanced all around the walls and floors._

_There were scratch marks and dried blood scattered across the floor. Broken glass and floorboards littered the ground—Kuroo was suddenly very glad he was wearing boots. In each room rested overturned tables and chairs, papers scattered across floors and other random objects everywhere. Hospital beds lay astray. Chairs with bolts covered in blood. Broken cameras and film littered over floors and thrown across rooms._

_Each sight made Kuroo's stomach flip. How unsettling._

_In the corner of his eyes, he saw a desk shoved against the wall in one room, drawers wide open and some even thrown on the floor. He stepped in, peering over, and his eyes went wide once he saw the bullets tucked firmly inside, almost like they were supposed to be hidden. Kuroo snatched them up without a second thought, shoving them deep into his pants pocket. He couldn't afford to lose a single one._

 

* * *

 

_A giant hole. Leading to a deafening blizzard. That was Kuroo's escape. It almost made him laugh._

_About to turn down the hall, Kuroo moved his shotgun so it was pointing towards the ceiling, hopping forward on his leg and pressing his back to the wall to ground himself. Once he heard a scuffling sound from behind him, he froze immediately, gripping his shotgun a little tighter. Then, a pair of hushed voices came from the other corner, the one nearest the hole in the wall, and Kuroo narrowed his eyes._

_Two heads of dark hair came out from the turn. They both paused, staring at the hole almost like they were annoyed. Kuroo took a step back, furrowing his eyebrows. A blast of wind came through the hole, making all three of them shudder._

_"That's annoyingly convenient," came a familiar voice, and Kuroo lifted his head with wide eyes. It was Oikawa. "There's no way it can be this easy. There's gotta be_ something _—"_

_As if on cue, a raging screech echoed through the halls._

_Kuroo heard Oikawa make something of a whining noise. "There it is."_

_As Iwaizumi cursed loudly, Kuroo ducked once he saw the telltale figure of a wendigo darting along the walls, taking short hops to each side. He lifted his shotgun, struggling with the barrel, wincing once he saw Oikawa and Iwaizumi starting to run in the direction of the hole. The wendigo was faster, and it was getting closer and closer and closer_ —

_Its claws gripped Oikawa by the neck and yanked him backwards as if he weighed nothing._

_Iwaizumi was screaming angrily, scratching at the monster's face while Oikawa kicked and struggled and choked. Eventually Iwaizumi decided to face the monster head-on (or rather, elbow-on), and once Oikawa was free he started running, and Iwaizumi took Oikawa's place in the wendigo's hands. It was pulling and pulling, and they were both screaming over the roar of the storm._

_As if suddenly snapped out of his daze, Kuroo lifted his shotgun and pulled the trigger._

_The wendigo screeched, letting go of Iwaizumi, and charging towards Kuroo at an incredible speed. It jumped onto the wall beside him, and Kuroo waited until its head was pressed against the barrel before pressing the trigger. When the wendigo fell back, he laughed out loud, excited and thrilled._

_Iwaizumi was on the ground, Oikawa crying over him. Kuroo turned back, fumbling with the bullets before shooting another at the monster. He hobbled over to Oikawa, ignoring the other's look of pure shock at the sight of him, and shoved Iwaizumi into Oikawa's arms. He grabbed onto his wrist, running into a separate room and pressing himself against the wall._

_The wendigo was screeching angrily, and peeked its head into the room for a few moments. Kuroo squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them, a few moments later, it was gone._

_Oikawa was giving him a strange look, wide-eyed and mystified._

_"Hey," Kuroo said, his voice hoarse._

_"...Hey."_

 

* * *

 

"Jesus," Tanaka groaned, shifting Kageyama up his back, "I can't see _shit_ in this storm."

"I see lights," Yaku murmured. He held his hand over his eyes, and squinted. "I think?"

Noya pursed his lips, moving to get a better grip on Yaku's thighs, and leaned in. He pressed himself against the nearby tree to keep from stumbling.

"Holy shit."

Hinata blinked. "What?"

Noya had a wide grin playing on his lips. "It's the lodge! We made it!" He let out a loud whoop. "We _fucking_ made it!!"

"Wait, _seriously?_ " Tanaka said, eyes widening. As if responding, Kageyama moaned softly and leaned forward on Tanaka's back. The latter grimaced once he felt the blood seeping onto his clothing, but took a deep breath and shook it off. "C'mon, this guy is damn heavy."

"I can carry him, if you want..." Hinata suggested, his voice trailing off as he held his arms out.

Tanaka waved him off, shaking his head. Hinata frowned, but complied, and began to hop down the slope. The lights of the lodge weren't far off, from what little they could see, and the blizzard was making the snow thicker and harder to pass through.

Once Hinata made it to the ground, he held his hands out for Noya to grab onto, and he helped him slide down without having to put Yaku down. Yaku shifted, lifting himself higher so Noya could hop down, and then settled his weight back on Noya.

Hinata took a few steps forward, struggling to see when the snow shifted to blow into his face. He wiped the wetness away from his cheeks, shaking his head, and grabbed onto Tanaka's elbow when the latter began to make his way downwards. Kageyama was mumbling something indistinct, and sliding to the left. Hinata jumped forward with a gasp, positioning himself underneath Kageyama's left side to push him back up. Tanaka moved, leaning against a tree once he reached the bottom.

"This _sucks_ ," he muttered, albeit to no one in particular. The others made similar noises of agreement.

"We're almost there," Noya tried, and nudged his head.

In the distance, a high-pitched screeched echoed through the air, and sent chills down all of their spines. They glanced at one another frantically.

"We _better_ be almost there," Yaku huffed as they began to hurriedly trudge through the snow.

The road to the lodge took longer than they would've liked, but the lights from inside became clear once the building itself began blocking the track of snow into their faces. The glass doors were cracked, but they could still see people shuffling around inside.

Hinata immediately charged up the door, and yanked on the handle. He grimaced once the door wouldn't budge, and instead turned to pounding on the surface. "Hey!" he shouted, trying to keep quiet to avoid being attacked but also to be heard.

A head lifted itself from the wall immediately. Kenma.

Hinata watched as his eyes went wide with recognition, and he jumped up from his place against the wall. His mouth moved, forming words, but Hinata had never been very good at reading lips. Others inside the lodge turned to Kenma, giving him strange looks as he practically tripped over himself trying to get to the door, but their looks softened once they saw what _exactly_ he was running towards.

Kenma yanked the door open and threw his arms around Hinata's shoulders.

"I didn't think you'd make it," he murmured, muffled into Hinata's shoulder.

Hinata laughed quietly and hugged him back, shifting to the side a little so Tanaka and Noya could make it through. "Honestly?" he said, pulling away. "Neither did I."

Kenma turned, taking a few steps back, and looked over at where Tanaka was gently setting down Kageyama across a table. Kiyoko and Yachi hovered over him, ready with boxes of makeshift supplies. Noya and Yaku were sitting against the wall, Yaku's ankle thrown over Noya's lap so he could inspect it.

He swallowed. Everyone had someone with them. His heart felt empty.

"Did anyone else come back?" Hinata asked.

Kenma blinked. "I-I—" he began, but cut himself off and took a deep breath. "Me, Koutarou, and Keiji were the last ones to come back."

Hinata frowned. "So..."

Kenma looked down at his feet, and tugged at the hem of his shirt. His hands were shaking.

"Kenma!"

Shocked, he turned with wide eyes to face Yaku. The latter was motioning for him to come over, so when he did, Yaku tugged Kenma down to sit beside him.

"Where's Kuroo?" he asked softly, ignoring Noya's questioning stare. "Did he come back?"

Kenma's heart shot up to his throat, and he suddenly felt like vomiting. He swallowed, straightening his back, and opened his mouth to reply—but his expression was all Yaku needed as a reply.

"Shit..." Yaku whispered, covering his eyes with his hand. He leaned forward, gripping his thigh with his other hand. "W-well," he stuttered nervously, and recollected himself, "if there's one thing I know about that guy, is that he's stubborn as hell." Yaku reached over, placing his palm over Kenma's tightly-closed fist. He nodded at him. "So I _know_ that asshole won't go down without a fight."

Kenma licked his dry lips, and nodded. "Yeah," he whispered, and chortled softly. "He's stubborn, alright."

Yaku gave Kenma's fist one last squeeze, and then moved to work on his ankle. It looked swollen, and almost broken, but from the way it was set up, Kenma assumed it was only badly sprained. He decided to leave Yaku to it, and stood up.

Kenma glanced all around the main room of the lodge. Hinata was beside Kageyama, his face broken out into a sweat. Kiyoko, Yachi, and Tanaka hovered over him, trying everything they could to stop the bleeding and wrap him up. Lev and Suga were chatting quietly with three other players from Aoba Johsai—Yahaba, Kindaichi, and Kunimi, Kenma believed. Some of the others were in different rooms, hiding in the back or trying to sleep for as long as they could. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, from Karasuno, were coddled up in the corner near the door.

(Maybe they were watching for others—or for monsters. Kenma wondered if they would even say anything. He wondered a lot of things.)

"I think this storm is what's preventing the rangers from getting us sooner," Kenma heard someone say softly. He shifted, wrapping his arms around himself, suddenly feeling a strange chill wash over him.

(In his mind, he could see Kuroo laying lifelessly against the wall, slumped on the floor. His leg twisted and bloody, his entire body pale, his eyes blank and empty. Kenma shivers. He wondered if Kuroo was alive—wandering mindlessly through the blizzard, searching for the sight of safety.)

Kenma closed his eyes. He saw Kuroo's smiling face in the darkness.

 

* * *

 

"This storm is shit," Kuroo grumbled.

"Do wendigos go out in the storm?" Oikawa piped up, a half-awake Iwaizumi still lying in his lap.

"Dunno," Kuroo replied with a shrug. "I mean, they've probably been on this mountain for a long goddamn time, so they're probably used to this weather."

Oikawa scrunched up his nose, frowning. "I guess..."

Suddenly, Iwaizumi reached up and swatted Oikawa in the chin lazily, the latter squeaking in shock at the action.

"Shut up," he groaned groggily, reaching up to rub at his eyes. "You're too noisy."

As Oikawa made the most scandalized face Kuroo had ever seen, Kuroo let out a loud guffaw of laughter, throwing his head back.

"I think he's okay," Kuroo snorted, jabbing his thumb in Iwaizumi's direction.

Iwaizumi waved his hand in Kuroo's general direction, pointing vaguely. "You shut up too," he said, eyes not even open.

Oikawa covered his mouth with his hand to hide his amused smile.

"We should really start heading back to the lodge," Kuroo said, choosing to ignore Iwaizumi. "Maybe we'll find others on the way." He pursed his lips. "Sawamura is still lost. Yamaguchi too. And..." His voice trailed off, but the name was on the tip of his tongue. _Kenma._

Oikawa suddenly made a startling noise in the back of his throat. Kuroo turned, furrowing his eyebrows, gesturing as if to ask _What?_

"Sawamura..." Oikawa mumbled, his hands shaking in their place in Iwaizumi's hair. "I... we—we..."

Kuroo felt a lump form in his throat. "What?" When Oikawa didn't say anything, Kuroo hurriedly took a step forward. "Oikawa, _what is it?_ "

Oikawa covered his eyes with one hand, using the other to reach into his pocket and pull out a journal. A splatter of blood was across the front. Kuroo took it into his hands, almost dropping it once he touched it. His entire skin was on fire as he stared at the red on black.

"W-we..." Oikawa started shakily, his skin oddly pale. He took a deep breath, swallowing audibly. "I-Iwa-chan and I saw... him. In the mines. He was..." He didn't need to finish; Kuroo was already slumping against the wall and sliding down. "He's _dead_. He's g-gone, Kuroo, he's—" Tears were streaming down his face. "His _head_ was—oh, _God_ —" Oikawa cut himself off with a gasp, leaning over to bury his face in Iwaizumi's chest. The latter was half-asleep, but grunted at the contact, moving so his arms were on Oikawa's shoulders.

Kuroo covered his mouth with his hand, eyes wide and unblinking as he stared at the wall across from him. Daichi was dead. Daichi was _dead_.

"I..." he tried, but the words wouldn't stay with him. _Fuck._

"I'm sorry—" Oikawa began, but Kuroo cut him off by slicing his hand across the air.

"Let's just go to the lodge," he said coldly, not even looking over at them. "Can he walk?"

It took Oikawa a few moments to recognize who he was talking about. Looking down at Iwaizumi, he nudged him gently, frowning at how little he stirred. "Um... maybe."

"Get him up," Kuroo ordered, tossing the shotgun between his hands. "We have to go."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [tumblr](http://saltyiwaizumi.tumblr.com/)


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the final chapter.
> 
> over 10k words.
> 
> enjoy.

"It looks like the storm is lightening up a bit," Suga said softly, to nobody in particular. A few others hummed, or nodded, to acknowledge him.

He glanced out the window, pursing his lips and frowning. The snowfall was still relatively thick, the clouds making it dark and difficult to see. Suga squinted, trying to focus on the lessening roar of the storm outside rather than the crying from inside.

"The rangers should—" A strange sound from one of the back rooms cut him off, and he turned around quickly. Swiftly picking up one of the spare flashlights, he hit it a few times to squeeze out what little battery life it had left, and shined it in the direction of one of the back doors.

It was closed, tightly at that. Suga narrowed his eyes.

"Is anyone back there?" he asked softly. He didn't receive a reply other than various shakes of heads.

Just before he could take a step forward, a hand landed on his shoulder. He jumped, and glanced down to see Kiyoko's hand grabbing forearm. He blinked once, twice, and then she shook her head at him.

"I'll go with you," she said.

Suga nodded. "Alright," he agreed, because virtually everyone knew there was no arguing with Kiyoko when she had her mind set.

He handed her the flashlight, and he watched as she stepped in front of him, her arm held out in front of her like she was going to whack anyone in sight with the half-dead flashlight. He could've laughed at the sight, but kept himself silent.

Kiyoko walked up to the door without a word, and let her hand gently fall onto the doorknob. A few of the others in the lodge were watching, holding their breaths as she slowly turned it and pulled it open—

—what met them was nothing. Darkness.

She moved the light across the room, and then at the door on the other side of the room. A creak echoed through the silent air—and the floor near the other door was lightly covered in snow. The door was ajar ever so slightly.

A hiss from above made them all jerk. Kiyoko moved the light higher and higher, until it landed in the top back corner of the room.

A pair of pure white eyes met hers.

She slammed the door shut immediately, letting out a loud gasp and stumbling back against Suga. She shook, her other hand moving to grasp the handle of the flashlight. Kiyoko turned, giving a startled look towards Yachi.

"They're inside," she whispered.

Before the entire lodge went into chaos, Suga threw his hand out.

"They can only see you if you're moving," he said softly, taking Kiyoko by the arm and slowly pulling her away from the door. "Everyone move, but _slowly_. Find somewhere to hide."

They all moved at once. There weren't many places to hide in the lodge, and most refused to open any doors in case they'd be filled with wendigos too. Most of the injured went to hide underneath tables and desks, some tucked away in corners, and others went behind couches and chairs. Those who couldn't find anywhere to hide seated themselves farthest from the other door, sitting on the floor against walls and huddling against each other.

Kiyoko moved over to stand next to Yachi, who was behind a chair. Kiyoko held her flashlight threateningly (or, as threatening you could get when you were scared out of your mind). Her hand was trembling, sweat trailing down her forehead. She took a deep breath, trying not to break the overwhelming silence. Her ears were ringing, her entire body rigid and littered with goosebumps.

Yachi was no better. One of her hands clutched her bleeding shoulder while the other was white from gripping the chair so tightly. Her eyes were fixed on the door, and nothing else. From the look in her eye, she looked as if she was ready to take down the wendigo with one hand.

The door creaked, and the entire lodge held its breath.

From the front glass door came a tap, and the silhouette of a wendigo scratched its nails along the length of the door. From inside, Kenma threw his hands over his ears and squeezed his eyes shut.

He was going to die. He was going to die. He was going to die and he'd never get to see Kuroo again.

Yamaguchi stood suddenly, and every eye turned to him in confusion and alarm.

"We need to get out of here," he said quietly, quickly. "They're cornering us."

Tsukishima was the next to stand, taking Yamaguchi's hand and turning down one of the halls in the lodge. Yachi and Kiyoko went next, followed by Yahaba. Eventually the group split up, moving down different halls and checking each room for a means of escape. It took time, even though they were rushing, and at _any_ signs of sound or movement they froze up and stayed put. Some were too afraid to open doors, to check inside.

Bokuto swung one of the doors open blindly, stumbling inside from how much force he'd input. He glanced around, and grimaced. "It's just another office!" he called. "What kind of lodge needs this many offices!?"

Akaashi sighed. "Bokuto-san, please lower your voice," he muttered, raising his hand to put it on his shoulder, but Bokuto was already moving inside, mumbling something about _breaking the goddamn window_. He sighed, letting his hand fall back to his sides.

"I'll just check the front again," he said to no in particular, leaving Bokuto alone in the room ( _a terrible idea_ , he chastised himself once he turned his back, but didn't have the pride to turn back).

He turned the corner, rolling his eyes and throwing his arms in the air. When he felt his hands fall back to his sides, Akaashi looked ahead of him towards the glass door—

—and promptly stopped in place.

The wendigo leering near him was hissing and growling. The door was broken and smashed, the shattered glass spreading all over the floor. There was shuffling all around the halls, and hushed whispers.

Akaashi glanced from side to side, and then looked up to meet the eyes of the wendigo. It was watching him, searching for his signs of movement and then leaning back ever so slightly as soon as Akaashi went still. He glared at it, his eyes narrowed, and his fingers began to tremble. His entire body suddenly felt exposed, from head to toe, and the monster was eyeing him like he was a piece of meat.

"Hey, Akaashi, where'd you—"

"Shh," he cut him off quickly, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. "Don't. Move."

Bokuto immediately shut his mouth, a feat Akaashi never thought he would be able to accomplish, and peeked over a bit to see the wendigo eyeing Akaashi.

"It's staring right at you..."

"Yes, Bokuto-san, I am aware."

"But—"

"Just. Don't move. Move and we'll both be killed."

Akaashi grimaced, gritting his teeth. The wendigo was getting closer, as it was obviously not impervious to sound. Akaashi snapped his mouth shut, swallowing down whatever words threatened to bubble out of his mouth.

The air suddenly got thicker as the wendigo leered closer, its long claws dragging against the ground. It bared its nails, its breath coming out in short, huffed pants as its mouth got so close to Akaashi's face that its tongue could've touched him if it had licked it out. If the wendigo took a step forward, it would bump into Akaashi, and his life would be over—the monster would know he was there, would eat him up and tear him apart, and Bokuto would stand there and watch, and Akaashi would never get to tell him—

"Hey!"

Both the wendigo and Akaashi whirled their head around to see Bokuto throwing various pieces of glass at the back of the wendigo.

"Leave him alone, you fucking bastard!" Bokuto yelled, his hand clutching around the piece of glass so tightly it cut into his palm. The glass didn't do any good against the wendigo's impenetrable skin, but it managed as an easy distraction as the monster screeched and whirled around.

It jumped onto the wall, and Akaashi leaped to the side to conceal himself behind the wall. Bokuto was still throwing glass, the _idiot_.

"Bokuto-san!" he yelled.

"Just run! I got this—" He most certainly did _not_ have it, and a pair of hands from behind lurched onto his shoulders.

Akaashi felt the life leave his body when the _third_ wendigo wrapped its hands around Bokuto's neck. He growled under his breath, his grip tightening on the side of the wall before ultimately loosening. He was running, dashing, screaming, and his fingers were wrapping around the fallen wood of the handle of the glass door, and he was whacking it against the head of the other wendigo, bashing it, making it _go away_.

( _Leave him alone leave him alone leave him alone_ Akaashi's mind screamed at him, because he was in love with him. Because he wasn't _ready_ to see him die. Because he wasn't ready to be the _reason_ he died.)

The wendigo relented, leaping up to the wall. Akaashi moved to grab Bokuto's hand, pulling him away from the third monster, and, without hesitation, made his way to the nearby window.

"Everyone get out of here!" he shouted as he rammed his elbow through the glass, ignoring Bokuto's wince and protests.

He jumped through it, leaning himself up and over the sharp glass, and then reached back in to grab Bokuto. He didn't have as much luck, and his leg pricked some of the broken glass. He gasped, stumbling his way out of the rest of the window and landing face-first in the snow.

Akaashi bit the inside of his cheek, shielding his face from the snow flying into his face. He knelt down, glancing from side to side to make sure they were safe (for the moment) before kneeling down and helping Bokuto sit up.

"Are you alright, Bokuto-sa—" Bokuto suddenly grabbed onto his arm and pulled him down, cutting off his sentence with his lips. The contact didn't last for more than three seconds, and then Bokuto pulled away. His laugh puffed warm air across his face.

"Just in case we die," he said softly.

Akaashi blinked, and felt his ears heat up. "Idiot," he muttered, tugging on Bokuto's ear as he pulled him up to his feet, "we're not going to die."

Bokuto pouted, and it was so childish that Akaashi could almost laugh. "What'd you tug on my ear for..." he mumbled, his voice trailing off, his fingers fumbling with the cartilage of his ear.

Akaashi opened his mouth to reply (with _what?_ with something _stupid_ , he was sure), but screaming and yelling from all around interrupted his train of thought. People were running from the lodge in a panic, and the three wendigos seated themselves inside like they owned the place.

Most of the camp was in ruins, windows and doors broken down from the cabins, but the group retreated nonetheless. The blizzard offered minor protection, but with the way it was lessening and growing slower, the wendigos could move through it with no obstacles.

"I swear to _God_ if the rangers don't get here soon," Akaashi growled under his breath, pulling Bokuto back to the ground and scooting back to tuck themselves near the lodge's walls, closer to the fireplace structure. He moved so Bokuto was on his right, and pulled himself so close he was covering Bokuto's form. He covered his mouth, keeping himself still and Bokuto safe as the wendigos burst through the broken windows and doors.

They hissed, growling, sneering at one another and sniffing around. Their forms were long and terrifying, their silhouettes practically the stuff of nightmares in the thickness of the blizzard.

Akaashi closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were gone.

"Akaashi—"

"Shh," he shushed quickly, throwing his other hand over Bokuto's mouth. He was warm, for some strange reason. "They could come back."

Bokuto's eyes were blown wide as he nodded.

 

* * *

 

"Weren't there... a _lot_ more wendigos before?" Oikawa asked aloud, to no one in particular. He used one arm to shield his eyes from the blow of the storm, and the other to hold Iwaizumi up against him. The latter was far more awake than before, but the pain in his back left him nearly useless to walk on his own.

Kuroo scoffed. "Lucky us. Just be glad they aren't chasing us."

Oikawa frowned; he had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, tingling and tickling the back of his mind no matter how hard he tried to focus. His head was fuzzy, his fingers numb, and all he wanted to do was lay down and sleep for a thousand years.

But Iwaizumi's heavy breathing on his neck brought him back to reality, and he shifted so he could hold onto him better.

"How's he doin'?" Kuroo suddenly asked, glancing back over his shoulder. Despite him being the slowest of the three, he offered to go ahead of everyone due to him holding the shotgun. He clutched it just slightly tighter in his bloodied hands, and Oikawa's eyes traveled from the shine of the barrel back to his face.

"'M fine," Iwaizumi mumbled into the fabric of Oikawa's coat. He slumped down a little further, and Oikawa stopped to plant his feet in the ground and pull him back up.

"No, you're not," Oikawa sighed, rolling his eyes.

"I _am_ ," Iwaizumi pressed, trying to shove the other with what little strength he had. The movement made him fall, his side slumping against the snow and light blood staining the white.

Oikawa ran his hands through his hair, stress visibly showing on his face. His legs trembled with the effort of kneeling down and hooking his arms underneath Iwaizumi's. If he was heavy before, his still weight made it nearly impossible just to get him to sit up. With Iwaizumi constantly fighting his hold, Oikawa's muscles begged him to stop and the adrenaline coursing through his veins made it hard to see clearly. It was like the universe was telling him to _leave him, because it's hopeless_.

Oikawa grit his teeth and indignantly told the universe to shut the fuck up.

"Maybe I should carry him?" Kuroo offered, watching the way Oikawa's body shook as he slowly tugged Iwaizumi to his feet.

"Like _hell_ ," Oikawa scoffed, pausing to grunt once Iwaizumi was all the way back up, "you're carrying him with that leg of yours."

Kuroo instinctively looked down at his injured leg, pressing his hand against his thigh as he observed it all around. He had his jacket wrapped around the area where his knee was bent, his pant leg rolled up to expose the long, red cuts and bruises. The fact that he was only wearing a black tank underneath his jacket made the blizzard terrifyingly cold, but a part of his mind made him numb to the exposure.

"It's... better now?" he tried.

Oikawa gave him a look. "We're all in bad shape, Kuroo-chan."

"Even in this shitstorm, you don't drop the '-chan', huh?"

Oikawa glanced to the side, and shrugged. "What do you _want_ me to call you? _Tetsurou?_ " He grinned. "Shouldn't you reserve that for Ken-chan?" As if in thought, Oikawa paused and tapped his chin in false thought. " _Oh_ , wait, doesn't he call you something _else?_ 'Kuro', right? How cute! Maybe _I_ should call you that—"

" _Okay_ ," Kuroo sighed. "I get it. Jesus, do you _have_ to be an asshole at _all_ times?"

"It's in the job description."

"Fuck off, dude."

Oikawa just snickered, wrapping one of Iwaizumi's arms over his shoulder, one of his one going to clutch his waist and pull him close. "How far are we from the lodge, you think?" he asked suddenly.

"Mm," Kuroo hummed. "Not far, I'm guessing."

"Huh." Oikawa nodded, invisible to Kuroo, and bit the inside of his cheek. After a few moments of checking his surroundings and listening to the strangely absent atmosphere, his eyes went wide with realization.

"Kuroo-chan."

"Yeah?"

"If the wendigos aren't around _here_..." Kuroo could practically _hear_ the trepidation in Oikawa's voice. "...where are they?"

They were both silent for a long time, and then Kuroo stopped in place. He didn't even look back as he leaned against the stick he was using for leverage.

"Well, we better fucking hurry, then."

 

* * *

 

Yamaguchi threw an arm over Tsukishima's chest, pressing his back against the brick of one of the cabins. He took a deep breath, peeking over the edge of the cabin and tightening his grip against it.

A wendigo was on the other side as them, snarling and hissing, sniffing the air. Its claws were dark in the blizzard, curling and uncurling as its owner attempted to sniff out its next meal.

Yamaguchi breathed out slowly through his nose, resisting the urge to sink down to the ground and cry. He squeezed his eyes shut, his right hand moving from its place on Tsukishima's chest and trailing down his arm to link their fingers together. He tangled their hands together, both shaking and sweaty. Yamaguchi felt Tsukishima squeeze his hand—a silent reassurance, a promise—and felt the tension release from his shoulders slightly.

Around the camp, others were running and screaming. Out of the corner of his eye, Yamaguchi saw someone get tugged into a wendigo's arms. When he turned his head, his blood went cold once he saw a wendigo bite straight into Hanamaki's neck. He went limp, his companion screaming his name and trying to stand, but Hanamaki wasn't _moving_ , and the wendigo kept _biting_ and _digging_ and there was _so much blood_ —

His body was dropped lifelessly to the snow, his eyes blown wide and blank. Matsukawa fell beside him, still but breathing, and the wendigo moved on.

Yamaguchi threw a hand over his mouth, trying to muffle his whimpers as tears streamed down his face. He scooted closer to Tsukishima, who was in an equal state as he. Tsukishima had his eyes shut, hunched over like he was about to vomit (considering everything, he probably _was_ ). Despite everything, his grip on Yamaguchi's hand didn't loosen, and if anything, it _tightened_ , like his life depended on it.

The wendigo on the other side of the cabin was creeping closer, its ragged breathing getting louder and _louder_ the closer it got. Once its face looked over the corner, it _screeched_ at the top of its lungs, making Yamaguchi flinch backwards. The wendigo noticed the movement and lunged, its claws brushing Yamaguchi's hair. He yelped, the wind rushing out of his lungs as Tsukishima automatically pulled him back.

His grip on his hand tightened, but slipped from the sweat coating their skin. Tsukishima darted down the back of the cabin, taking Yamaguchi with him. The latter stumbled, shaken from nearly being caught, his breathing coming out in short, barely-there breaths. The wendigo was behind them, snarling and crawling onto the walls, but it wasn't lunging, like it was waiting for something, but what?—was there something they couldn't see? Was there—

Tsukishima gasped when the tip of his toe hit a rock in front of him, and he tumbled to the ground, taking Yamaguchi down with him. Yamaguchi fell down on top of him, dizzy and shaken-up. He inhaled sharply, immediately pushing himself up with his hands on both sides of Tsukishima's head.

"Tsukki!" he gasped. "Are you alright?"

Tsukishima blinked up at him a few times, and then froze once he saw the two wendigos surrounding them. One was one the cabin wall beside them, the other hovering a few feet way from Tsukishima's head. He took a deep breath, giving Yamaguchi a knowing look. Watching Yamaguchi's eyes trail upward to look at one of the monsters, Tsukishima clenched his hands into the snow and leaned his head back. Trying to remain completely still, he willed his legs and arms not to twitch and prayed Yamaguchi did the same.

Yamaguchi's hands shook beside him, his fingers digging into the snow as he shook. His body trembled, the movements subtle but obvious when he was pressed against him. He closed his eyes, clamping his mouth shut. Tsukishima wanted to jump up, to reach out and hug him and hold him tightly, but he didn't move—he didn't let himself even _breathe_.

 _We'll be fine we'll be fine we'll be fine_ he mentally told himself. He was going to be able to see Akiteru again. He was going to be able to block again. He was—

The knife that was planted firmly inside Yamaguchi's pocket slipped out, and skirted against the snow. Yamaguchi's eyes went wide, his head turning ever so slightly to glance at the gleam on the blade of the knife.

There was a pause, a beat—one, two—and then a hand shot out to grip onto Yamaguchi's neck. He shook, the nails of the monster tightening against his skin. Tsukishima pulled himself up with his elbows, breathing heavily when the hand began to move. Momentarily forgetting the wendigo behind him, he automatically reached out and began tugging against the hands against Yamaguchi's neck.

He felt the figure behind him, closing up, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up on end. Suddenly, there were claws on his shoulders and underneath his arms, and he froze in place.

He met Yamaguchi's eyes, both of them staring with wide eyes. Then Yamaguchi's mouth was moving, mouthing something— _screaming?_ —but he couldn't hear a word, his mind was filled with static, white noise.

 _I love y_ —

And his head was twisted clean off his body.

Blood spilled from his neck all the way down his form, until it was leaking and splattering all over Tsukishima's clothes. He shook, voice gone in disbelief, his eyes so wide they could've popped out from his head. Yamaguchi's body fell the ground, blood staining the wall and snow, and his head rolled a ways behind it.

Tsukishima screamed as the wendigo holding him started dragging him, and he kicked and struggled and yelled and cried.

But then he was out of sight, and the moon was without the stars.

 

* * *

 

"Shit," Kuroo cursed, breathless as they ran.

"W-What?" Oikawa stammered, struggling to move along with Iwaizumi leaning up against him.

Kuroo stopped for a moment, pausing to glance in front of him and listen to the echoing screams. "I only have three bullets left."

" _Three bullets!?_ "

"That's better than nothing!" Kuroo shouted, face red as he whirled around. He panted, breathless, and watched as Oikawa sunk back, his shoulders slumping, his hands clenching into fists at his side.

Oikawa lifted his fist suddenly, clenched so hard his knuckles were white, like he was going to punch him. His fist hovered in the air, trembling, and then slowly dropped back to his side. He hung his head, silent for a few moments, his fingers gripping slightly tighter around Iwaizumi's waist. He lifted his hand to wipe at his face, sniffling, and nodded as he raised his head again.

"You're right," he murmured. When he met Kuroo's eyes, his own were glassy.

Kuroo bit his lip, suddenly regretting lashing out, but he forced his gaze away and turned back to the road ahead. The snow was thick, on the ground, and the actual storm falling was gradually getting lighter and easier to traverse through. The thick trees of the forest made it too dark and impossible to see past the trunks and leaves, and the constant obstacles embedded into the ground made it difficult for their injuries to pull through. Among the small cliffs and overpasses, Kuroo's leg seared with pain in protest at every step taken.

As the screams got louder and louder the closer they got, the more Kuroo prayed and prayed that _Kenma's_ screams weren't amongst them. He felt guilty for it—guilty that he was wishing for other people to get harmed—but the very _thought_ of a wendigo laying its hands on Kenma in _any_ way made his heart clench and burn in unimaginable ways. His hands itched with the urge to rip _every_ wendigo apart one by one, _limb by limb_.

It was _brutal_ , it was _gross_ , but Kuroo didn't care. All he had to do, to get the blood boiling, was to remember what they did to his leg. How they made Kenma scream and _cry_. How they _murdered_ Daichi, only to _leave_ his body sitting there. 

Behind him, he heard Oikawa grunt with the effort of holding Iwaizumi up, and took a moment to admire his strength, his _dedication_ , his will to resist _leaving_ him there—his reluctance to let him die and his willingness to sacrifice himself.

(When the time came, he wondered if he would be able to sacrifice himself for anyone.

The thought made his stomach hurt.)

Kuroo sat down on the edge of one small rock, sliding down smoothly out of the forest and landing onto the rocky path that led to the lodge. Kuroo exhaled slowly, leaning against his walking stick and looking over at the distant lights. His awe was suddenly broken by the continuous echo of screams, followed by a pair of inhuman screeches. Crows from trees cawed and scattered, and Kuroo felt like laying down and never getting back up.

Oikawa came down a few moments later, Iwaizumi slightly stirred and looking better. Instead of completely limping against Oikawa, his legs were moving, helping Oikawa along.

Kuroo glanced at him, and looked down at his shotgun. He brushed the snow off it, shook his head, and cocked it. The resounding _click_ filled the forest's air.

Looking back over his shoulder at Oikawa, Kuroo nudged his head forward.

"Let's go."

 

* * *

 

 

"We've already been through this _once_ ," Yaku grumbled under his breath, peeking up over the window. He looked over at Noya and Tanaka holding the door shut, the cabin's windows broken and shattered and making it easy to slip inside. Careful not to touch the fallen glass, Yaku tightened his grip on the windowsill. "Jesus..."

Right outside their cabin, someone from Seijou was suddenly pinned to the ground by a wendigo. He struggled, his screaming muffled by the fact that his face was being pressed into the snow, and Yaku was itching to run out and help him when suddenly the wendigo lifted its arm—only to embed itself deep into his back. The resulting _squelching_ sound had Yaku jumping back and leaning against the wall, hand over his mouth and nose and eyes wide, unblinking, glued to the floor.

His world was spinning, the sound of screaming outside being replaced by white noise.

"...ku? Yaku!?"

He was jolted back to reality by Noya, whose grip on his shoulders was so tight it hurt. He blinked owlishly for a few moments, his hand hesitantly falling from his face.

"Are you okay?" Noya asked, and when Yaku didn't reply, only held on tighter. "We're gonna be alright. We'll get out of this."

Yaku exhaled slowly, his hands trembling as he planted them firmly against his sides. He didn't trust his voice, so he nodded and hung his head when Noya's hands fell from his shoulders.

"They're moving closer to the cabins," Tanaka suddenly said, pausing from holding the door to open it and peek through. He looked back once over his shoulder, and then sighed. "We should move."

"Move _where?_ " Yaku whisper-yelled, suddenly fearful that wendigos were outside their cabin right now.

Tanaka made a strange motion with his hands, and then slapped his palms against his thighs in exasperation. "I don't know! Just not _here!_ " He sighed, slamming the door shut louder than he needed to, and winced at the resounding slam that no doubt attracted attention. "Okay, now we _definitely_ need to move."

"Good job," drawled Yaku sarcastically.

Noya shoved past Tanaka in a hurry, his fingers wrapping around the knob of the door and pulling it open slightly. He glanced around, pausing to listen for any sign of footsteps or ragged breathing. After a few moments, he swung the door open enough to slide through, and motioned for the other two to follow.

Yaku pushed himself away from the wall, swinging his arms and looking down to glance at his ankle. He moved it from side to side, frowning and scrunching his nose at the bloodied, bruised skin. It hurt to even look at it. He took a deep breath, steadied himself with the wall, and hobbled towards the door. Once he was close enough, Noya reached inside to grab his hand, pulling him all the way out.

The snow falling was light now, the wind freezing but tolerable. The blizzard was over, replaced by snowfall. 

(If they were lucky, with the leaving of the blizzard would come with the arrival of the rangers.

They could only hope.)

"C'mon," Tanaka whispered, nudging his head towards the lodge.

As if on cue, as soon as Yaku shut the door to the lodge, there was a crash from inside, and Yaku gasped breathlessly. For a moment he blanked out, wondered what would've happened if he were one second too late, and his skin burned. Noya pulling him along snapped him out of his daze, and he shook his head in an attempt to get rid of the fuzziness clouding his mind.

There was a shout from his left, and Yaku turned his head sharply to see a wendigo chasing after Lev. He was nearly escaping, jumping up towards the window in the lodge. Yaku's eyes widened, and something was bubbling out from his mouth, up his throat, and—

" _Lev!_ "

He whirled around, green eyes glowing in the light from the lodge, his hair a mess. Lev opened his mouth, like he was going to shout something back. His hand reached out, his long fingers splayed—

And it was like slow motion as a claw uprooted through his chest.

Yaku screamed as the claw retracted itself, the force bringing Lev's body back to the ground. His foot, caught in the window, left him hanging there, his head and neck laying on the snow and the rest of his body suspended in the air. Blood poured from his mouth, spilling over the snow, and his green eyes suddenly became blank.

Yaku's hand shook as he covered it with his mouth. It was _his_ fault, _he_ caused Lev's death, _fuck_ , if he had just _shut his goddamn mouth_ —

"Yaku!" It was Noya. He was screaming something; he didn't know what. "Yaku, let's _go!_ "

"L—... Lev," Yaku whispered, eyes wide, and Noya just shook his head and started pulling him away. Out of the corner of his eye, Yaku saw Tanaka leap through the window and run over to someone inside.

Noya managed to drag Yaku all the way up, hopping inside and reaching back out to grab his hands. Yaku was shaking, his mind elsewhere, and he was limp to Noya's will as the latter pulled him up to the window. He grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling him inside and wincing when he saw the broken glass cutting his skin. Once he was finally inside, Yaku scooted up against the wall and wrapped his arms around himself, biting his nails and scratching his arms.

Noya sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ryuu, where'd—"

He paused, his mouth hanging open once he saw Tanaka kneeling down next to Hinata and Kageyama. Hinata's face was soaked with tears and snot, some even pattering onto Kageyama's chest. Tanaka was holding Kageyama up by the shoulders, his hands trembling as he laid them on his arms.

Hinata glanced up, and once he saw Noya standing there, broke down.

"He's dying," he blubbered. "He's lost too m-much blood, he's— _dying_."

 

* * *

 

 

"Holy _shit._ "

The camp was in ruins, cabins destroyed, blood littering the snow, the lodge a wreck.

Kuroo ran a hand through his hair. How long had they even _been_ on the mountain? He turned back towards Oikawa, raising the shotgun a little higher. "You go to the lodge and _hide_. I'll try to find as many people as I can."

"No! What if—?"

" _I_ have a shotgun," Kuroo said, lifting it to emphasize. " _You_ have a half-conscious athlete."

Oikawa wrinkled his nose, the realization sinking into his mind. He clutched Iwaizumi a little tighter and nodded. "Alright. You _better_ be fucking careful."

Kuroo grinned. "I'm always careful."

Oikawa just scoffed, and glanced both sides before hobbling ahead. The screeches were far off, and the path he was using was relatively clear. Kuroo didn't move, didn't move his shotgun from beside Oikawa's head, until he watched him slip through the broken glass doors with Iwaizumi in tow. Once he was inside, Kuroo exhaled slowly, and lowered his shotgun slightly.

Turning back in the direction of the cabins, his heart stopped once he saw the people running and screaming. He saw the wendigos leaping from building to building. He saw the bodies of the dead lying carelessly in the snow. 

And, worst of all, when he took a few steps forward, Lev's body, hanging from the lodge's window, was covered in blood—like an art show, for everyone to see.

He jumped back, slapping a hand over his eyes. He felt like crying, and his throat was closing and choking him up.

(Oh, _God_. Where was Kenma?)

Kuroo looked up slowly, shifting his leg, and cocked his shotgun. 

"Alright, you sons of bitches," he scoffed, wiping dried blood from his face. "Hope y'all like lead."

(Immediately after saying it, he felt _incredibly_ stupid, and suddenly was _extremely_ glad that Oikawa was _nowhere_ near him, lest he be subjected to constant torment. God, he'd _never_ be able to live it down.)

 

* * *

 

 

He sat in the dark room, tucked carefully in the corner, hand clasped over his mouth. He refused to make eye contact with the being in front of him, keeping his gaze focused on the cold gray wall. 

When he felt the wendigo's breath on his cheek, his fingers tightened against his mouth, and the wendigo _screeched_. His ear was ringing, and he couldn't hear anything over the rushing of his blood. His heart was racing, sweat making his hands clammy, and all he wanted to was to _run_ , get off the _fucking_ mountain, and lay in bed _forever_ —

Kenma muffled a whimper when the wendigo's claw swiped the air in front of him, as if making a blind move. He lifted his gaze shakily, looking over at the door on the other side—it was nearly closed, nearly trapping him inside with a _monster_ , but if the wendigo would just _move_ , or leave, Kenma could make a break for it.

He eyed the door, and moved his gaze to the door. The wendigo was sniffing the air, moving closer to the other side of the room. It screeched again, clawing at the wall like there was something hidden inside the concrete. Kenma bit his lip, darted his eyes between the wendigo and the door—

—and ran.

As soon as his shoes skidded across the floor, the wendigo's head whirled around. Kenma gripped onto the shelves, pushing himself with the metal, and shoved them down once he jumped past them. The wendigo howled, its foot getting caught underneath the shelf. Kenma, breathless, stared at it for a moment before gritting his teeth and angrily kicking it in the face. It jumped back, and snarled, and Kenma didn't waste any time running out and shoving the door shut behind him. 

He leaned against it, exhaling slowly and letting the cold air soothe his nerves for a few moments. From inside he felt scratching at the door, screeching, banging, and he suddenly was pushed forward by the force behind the door. He stumbled, rolling into the snow and groaning. His body hurt all over and he didn't even make the attempt to stand up.

The wendigo crawled out, standing up and echoing its call into the air. Another from far off returned it, and the wendigo glanced around for a few moments, its teeth bared, before darting off out of sight.

Kenma blinked a few times, his vision bleary. He was seeing in doubles for a few moments, and then pushed himself up. His arms strained with the effort, and he moved to sit on his legs. Propping himself up, he clutched his side when it suddenly seared with pain. Biting on his knuckles, Kenma made a muffled noise against his hand when he shifted to his feet. Slowly rising, he stumbled, his hand tightening against his side. He didn't feel blood, but he was sure there was some kind of broken bone _somewhere_.

Looking up, Kenma brushed his hair out of his eyes to look ahead of him. For a moment, he thought he saw a flash of familiar black hair, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. He furrowed his eyebrows, putting his free hand on his forehead and shaking his head. He must be going mad.

Kenma moved, taking slow steps and limping from the pain. He groaned, biting on the fabric of his jacket, and shuffled a little faster once he heard the telltale screech not so far off. There were people running, mostly going into the lodge, and he struggled to keep up with them.

Nearly to the lights, Kenma paused once he saw a body lying in the snow. Slowly stepping closer to observe it, he reeled back once he realized just _who_ it was. Yamamoto lied there, his eyes empty, gouged out by claws. Kenma threw a hand over his mouth, suddenly feeling the urge to vomit, and his eyes burned with the threat of tears. This wasn't real, there was no way it could be real—

" _Fuck!_ Let _go_ of me!" A screech. Another yell.

Kenma stopped, his entire body going pale. He knew that voice. He _knew_ that voice. His mind was blank. He couldn't think of a _name_ , couldn't think of _where_ he was, but then he turned his head and saw a pair of feet struggling and a claw reaching out and twisting something—another angry scream.

Like his body was on autopilot, Kenma scrambled towards the pair of feet, his eyes filling with tears and he had _no_ control over _anything_ his body was moving on his _own_ —

His feet hit something on the ground, and he stopped. Kneeling down, his hands found the smooth surface of a _shotgun_. 

Kenma picked it up, testing the weight out in his hands, and opened it to see two bullets placed inside. Glancing up, he saw a figure being dragged off to the woods, and his hands shook as he rose the shotgun.

His vision was strange, all he could see on the sides of him were black, and the figure and the monster were getting farther and _farther_.

He aimed, and shot, and the monster screamed.

Kenma gasped, lowering the shotgun and stepping forward. He couldn't see _anything_ , and his heart was racing—what if he had shot the person being attacked?—and, _oh God_ , his mind was drowning him in worst-case scenarios. Maybe just had made the wendigos job easier, maybe he just _killed_ someone.

Then the figure came running out of the bushes, and Kenma's heart jumped to his throat once he saw who it was.

Kenma didn't say a word as he slowly walked up to him and threw his arms around his shoulders, burying his face in his shoulder. 

"Hey, kitten," Kuroo laughed, taking a step back from how hard Kenma was wrapped around him. "Told ya I made a promise, didn't I?"

An annoyed _Shut up Kuro_ was murmured into his shirt.

Kuroo just chuckled, and reached down to grab the shotgun from Kenma's hand. Once he took it, Kenma's now-free hand clutched the back of Kuroo's shirt, and the latter was half-sure Kenma would climb up his body and wrap his legs around his waist just to hold onto him.

"You really saved my ass," Kuroo said, somewhat amazed, "but we really need to get inside now. Shotguns only hold them off."

Kenma lifted his head, his face messy. He hesitantly let go, and for a second he looked as if he wanted to hit Kuroo, but held off.

"Alright..."

 

* * *

 

 

"Oh, you complete _asshole_."

Kuroo just grinned, extending his arms out on either side of him. "What can I say? I'm stubborn as hell."

Bokuto scoffed. "How the hell did'ya get out, man?"

Kuroo looked down at himself. "Honestly, I'm not even sure." He made a show of flipping his hair. "I guess God just thinks I'm too pretty for Heaven."

" _Right_ , well, talk to God _after_ we get out of here," Akaashi deadpanned.

"You're so mean, Akaashi." Kuroo put a hand on his heart. "You wound me."

From the corner, Oikawa scowled and raised his head. "Did Kenma save your ass?"

Kenma looked up at Kuroo, and the latter suddenly turned red in the back of the neck. "What the fuck? How did you know?"

Oikawa grinned. "It's written all over your face! Plus, I kind of expected it." He looks over at Kenma's tearful face and raises an eyebrow. "Was your reunion as emotional as you imagined it to be?"

"'Imaginary'—?" Kenma questioned.

Kuroo made a panicked noise, waving his arms in the air frantically. "Shut up! Shut _up!_ None of this matters! We're in a dire situation and there are more pressing matters at hand!"

Oikawa threw his hands in the air.

"Are all the doors locked?" Kiyoko suddenly asked, shoving past Bokuto and Akaashi. Her hair was a mess and the area underneath her eyes were ringed with red. "They're still _out there_."

"Yes," Suga replied before Kiyoko could fall into hysteria, "but the windows..."

Kiyoko bit her lip. "Then just stay away from them for now."

Kuroo frowned, glancing behind him and wearily watching the outside through the shattered glass door. He bit his lip, looking down at his feet. 

"I just hope the rangers will be here soon," he murmured, nearly to himself. "Or else... we'll..."

"Die?" Akaashi finished, his face set in a firm deadpan.

Kuroo sighed. "Yeah. Die."

There was a silence amongst them for a few moments. The quiet from outside was unsettling, the lack of screeching sounding almost _strange_ in their ears. It was as if at any moment there would be a claw shooting out, hands on them, blood _splattering_ against their clothes—

Disgusting.

And there's only silence.

But suddenly, there isn't, and the telltale echo of a snarl pierced their ears. They all went rigid, eyes darting across one another and towards windows and doors. After a few moments, there was only silence again, and the quick breaths of everyone in the room.

"They're looking for us," Suga said softly.

Kuroo nodded. "Yeah. I know."

 

* * *

 

 "Is he..." Hinata swallowed, his throat feeling scratchy. "....gonna be okay?"

Kiyoko worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "He's lost a lot of blood," she murmured. "If we can't get him to a hospital _soon_ , then..." Her voice trailed off, but she didn't even need to finish.

Hinata ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly. He stared down at Kageyama, whose skin was strangely pale and stained with red. He looked dead, but when Hinata put a hand on his chest he felt a heartbeat, and he pressed down as if to engrave the feeling in his skin.

He saw Asahi dead. He watched many of his friends die.

But there was _no way_ , in all hell, was he ready to watch _Kageyama_ die.

Hinata looked outside. The blizzard had passed completely—all that fell from the sky were tiny snowflakes that could barely be seen. He exhaled softly, and blinked at the cold breath that escaped him. Putting a hand to his lips, he looked up at the sky, and silently prayed. Prayed for Kageyama to _live_ , prayed for them to be safe, prayed for the ranges to come soon—

—and, like always, his prayers were ignored, and the chaos ensued once more.

Through the glass doors came the biggest monster any of them had seen yet. Its white color was darker in complexion than the others, and grey hairs littered its arms and legs. It almost looked as if it weren't part of the wendigos, but the way its teeth bared at them and the way its eyes narrowed told them more than they needed to know. Two more wendigos crawled inside from behind it, and a third from one of the windows. 

Everyone was pressed against the wall or close to it, and the largest wendigo stepped forward until it was standing in the center of the room. The others were crawling on the walls, stepping down to the floor and glancing around as if hoping to find something.

Yachi exhaled shakily, her hands twitching with the urge to grab onto Kiyoko. Her shoulder was searing, and she could feel the bandage slipping (she wondered if the wendigos could smell blood—maybe that's how they were always finding them).

She glanced to the side, eyeing the people who were closing their eyes and trembling against the wall. She was half-tempted to whisper at them to stay still, but then suddenly one of the smaller wendigos whipped its head around to her, and she clamped her mouth shut.

The larger wendigo made a low noise in the back of its throat, cocking its head like it was confused. Then it leaned back, snarled, and _leaped_ —

—straight for another wendigo.

The smaller wendigo screeched, the noises so loud it could render them deaf, and moved before the larger could swing its claw at it. It leaped onto the other's back, scratching at its eyes, and the larger bent over to grab at the smaller's legs and practically tied them together. It slammed the smaller against the wall, so hard that there was a hole, and then over against the fireplace.

Two people were knocked over from the impact, colliding onto the ground on top of each other. Once they fell, they didn't dare move, instead shakily looking over at the wendigo that wasn't even two inches away.

The smaller wendigo took a few moments before jumping up onto the wall above the fireplace. The stones were a mess, and one of the pipes was broken and bent.

Yachi blinked, and watched as gas hurriedly escaped through the broken vent. She could hear it, smell it, _see_ it moving. She stared at the vent, and then turned her gaze to the light bulb near the door. But—no light switch. In reality, it would be _near_ the door, right? As she looked closer, the light switch next to the door was _broken_ , and the _only_ other one was the one next to the table.

Which, as Yachi felt herself being reluctant to admit, wasn't near any exits.

"Yachi!" Suga whisper-yelled, looking worried. When Yachi glanced at him, she saw the way his eyes followed her plan. Oh. He knew. "There's no way you're thinking of that!"

Yachi just swallowed, and nodded. She turned her gaze back to the wendigos, who, surprisingly, weren't paying attention to any of them at all. Since they could see no movement in the room, the only other ones moving were the _other wendigos_.

Maybe if she could keep them focused on one another for long enough, _everyone_ could escape through the back door and she'd be able to burn them.

As the wendigos glared at each other, circling one another as if ready to pounce, Yachi turned her head back towards everyone and nudged towards the back door. Before anyone could question her, she began moving to the right.

The movement made two wendigos turn, but their eyes only met each other. They faced one another, the larger snarling, and pounced. The smaller's teeth dug into the larger's, but the other was much, much stronger. In an instant, it grabbed the other by the neck and slammed its face against the wooden floor. A disgusting crunching sound filled the air, and the larger wendigo ripped its head away from its body with its foot.

Hinata stood, his eyes narrowed, and grabbed Kageyama by the arms to begin dragging him out the back door. The creaking of his feet against the wood drew the wendigo's attention, and he paused. He felt chills run up and down his spine as the wendigo stared him down, milky white eyes focusing on him even if it couldn't see him. Its eyes were chilling, cold, full of _hunger_.

The distraction gave Yachi enough time to sneak towards the light bulb and wrap her fingers around it. Worriedly glancing over at Hinata and the last two wendigos, she tightened her grip until the glass around the bulb shattered. She grit her teeth, wiping her hands clean on her pants.

The sound turned the last two wendigos towards her. She swallowed, eyeing the light switch near the table, and gave the others a look that said _Help_. 

"Hey!" Kuroo suddenly yelled.

The wendigos turned, howling in reply. They stomped over towards him, though when one ran into the other they faced each other—and the taller slaughtered the smaller in one malicious swipe. The others gasped silently, jumping back. The _strength_ of the larger was overwhelming—almost like it was the _leader_.

The last wendigo stomped towards him, and out of instinct Kuroo suddenly laced his fingers with Kenma's. The latter choked out a broken breath, squeezing his eyes shut and biting his lower lip. Behind them, multiple people scrambled out the back door, and, by miracle, the wendigo didn't even _notice_ them. Its gaze was set on Kuroo, even if it couldn't exactly _see_ him.

That didn't matter. It knew _something_ was there. 

Some dragged the injured out. Some ran. Some crawled out. But that didn't matter either. They were _escaping_. The plan was working.

Yachi took a step forward, scooting along the wall to reach the table. It wasn't until her back bumped against the wall and made a louder sound than she meant to that the wendigo whirled around with a distinctive wail. She froze, a cold sweat coating her body. Giving Kuroo and Kenma a panicked look, she nodded at them once, subtly, and exhaled slowly when she watched them hesitantly turn and run.

And then, the only ones left in the lodge were Yachi, the wendigo, and Kiyoko.

Kiyoko was frozen, staring at Yachi with wide, pleading eyes. _Don't_ , she mouthed frantically, shaking her head.

Yachi didn't say a word. She watched the wendigo stalking towards her with a shaky vision, and then subtly pointed to the door with her thumb. Kiyoko followed her gaze, and shook her head hectically. 

Yachi only pointed more firmly, her eyebrows furrowing. She knew she was dead anyway. 

(She had been from the start.)

Kiyoko hesitated, begged Yachi not to do it with her eyes, but there was nothing else she could do. The wendigo was closing in; Yachi would either die at the hands of the wendigo or at the hands of flames.

She did what she was told, and ran outside.

The sound of the door slamming shut behind her made the wendigo jump across the floor towards it, scratching its nails slowly against the wall. Yachi pushed herself off the wall, ran across the floor, ducked to avoid the wendigo's swing, and as her fingers brushed against the switch she said one final sentence, thought one final thought—

( _I love you._ )

—and flipped the switch.

Flames roared across the lodge, burning everything inside to a crisp instantly. The blast made the others outside fall to the ground, landing in the snow and knocking the wind out of them. There was silence, a ringing in their ears, and then the sound of helicopter whirring above them.

" _The main structure has been destroyed.... hold on, I have a confirmation of survivors. I repeat, there_ _are_   _survivors, over._ "

 

* * *

 

 

(The bodies of the coaches left behind had been recovered on the way to the main lodge. The only missing coach that was unable to be found was Ukai.

The search for him—or, alternatively, his body—continued for two days. After that, another storm rolled in and rendered it useless to look anymore.

Ukai Keishin was confirmed dead two days after the survivors of the Narahashi Mountain incident were recovered.)

 

* * *

 

 

"They're all dead, Kuro."

Kuroo frowned, putting a hand atop of Kenma's head. He sat in a medical bed, his leg propped up by pillows. A cast was wrapped around it, after the doctors took notice of the bone having been snapped.

("I've never seen a bone so... _destroyed_ before," the doctor had said, her voice soft. "It's a miracle you were even able to move at all!")

Kenma was beside him, laying down and curled up against his side. The doctors had prohibited it before, but after two days' worth of catching Kenma asleep in Kuroo's bed, they gave up, and let him do whatever he wanted. His head had a bandage wrapped around it, his fingers clothed in bandaids. The bruises all over his body would fade eventually.

"Not all of them, kitten."

Kenma turned his head. "Did you mean what you said?"

"What did I say?"

Kenma swatted him in the chest, and Kuroo scoffed.

"Hey! I'm being serious!"

Frowning, Kenma turned his face away and bit his lip at the memory. "When... _it_ attacked. And you told me to... leave you. And you said—"

"Yes."

Kenma looked up.

"I meant it."

Kuroo's gaze was hard, but sincere. Kenma put a hand on his chest, tightening his fist in the fabric of his shirt, and leaned up. For a moment, Kuroo thought he was going to kiss him, but all Kenma did was sniffle, and bury his face in his shoulder.

Kuroo wrapped his arms around him, trailing his hands up his back and tangling them in his hair. He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it in fear of ruining the moment. The steady beeping of the machines drowned out, and Kuroo rested his chin on the top of Kenma's head.

The silence of the room was answer enough.

 

* * *

 

 

"And... you say there were.... _monsters?_ "

Tsukishima narrowed his eyes. "How many _fucking_ times do I have to do tell you!? They _murdered_ Yamaguchi. They _murdered_ him—" His voice cracked, and he leaned forward to bury his face in his hands.

"Your clothes were found with Yamaguchi Tadashi's blood on them. A rather copious amount, as well. What do you say to that?"

He looked up to glare at the camera. "You have to go back up there and see for yourself. Look in the mines. Look _anywhere_ —it _wasn't_ me. I didn't _kill_ him. It—it was those _fucking monsters_. They ripped his _head_ off his body."

There was a scratching of pen against paper.

Tsukishima took a deep breath, trying his best not to lash out.

"There's _something_ down there. You _have_ to try and stop it."

He swallowed.

"Try and stop it for Yamaguchi."

 

* * *

 

 

Kageyama, stable but unconscious, rested on the hospital bed. Hinata, beside him, took his hand in his own two hands, rubbing his calloused thumb over his knuckles. Bruises and bandages covered Kageyama's body, most carefully over his stomach, and IVs and monitors hooked up to him determined his survival.

Hinata swallowed at the sight of it.

"I'm... not sure if you can hear me right now, but... I'm _sorry_. There's—there's _so_ many people _dead_.... I-I don't know if we'll _ever_ be able to play volleyball again." 

Hinata stood, leaning over and brushing Kageyama's bangs back. He let his lips rest on the warm skin.

"But no matter what," he murmured, "I'll _always_ be by your side."

And he kissed him.

 

* * *

 

 

"Suga."

He looked up, tilting his head and smiling wearily at the sight of Oikawa. "Ah," he said softly, "it's you. How's Iwaizumi-kun?"

Oikawa bit his lip. "He's, um, fine." Scratching the back of his neck, Oikawa hesitantly tugged his shirt down and carefully took a seat next to Suga. "Look, um.... I have something to tell you."

Suga tilted his head. "Oh?"

"In the mines," Oikawa blurted out, his face getting red, "I-Iwa-chan and I saw... something."

Suga's hands tightened, bunched up in his pants. He tried his best to keep his face smooth, but a worried smile formed on his face. "What... did you see?" he said, voice shaking.

"We saw..." Oikawa hesitated. "Daichi."

All the air left Suga's lungs in one sudden breath.

"He was..." He ran his hands through his hair, the words stopping on the tip of his tongue. "He's—he's not...." Oikawa just covered his eyes with one hand and put the other on Suga's shoulder. "I'm... so _sorry_."

Suga blinked at him, face and mind blank. He couldn't breathe, couldn't _think_ , and his world was fading to white until Oikawa shook him and his vision cleared. He stared at Oikawa's face, his hands twitching to _punch something_.

"Thank you for telling me," he said quickly before he ended up squaring Oikawa in the nose. "I'm... I need...."

Oikawa nodded quickly, and went off.

Once he was gone down the hallway, Suga slapped his hands over his mouth and let out a muffled scream. He kicked his legs against the floor, tears overflowing so hard and fast that he couldn't see anything—and he was standing, pacing, _sobbing_ —

He screamed one last time and punched the wall.

 

* * *

 

 

"How'd he take it?" Iwaizumi asked, his voice a whisper.

Oikawa looked like a wreck once he shut the door behind him.

Iwaizumi bit his cheek. "That bad?" As if on cue, a raging scream echoed through the hallway, and he winced. "Ah." Opening his arms, he took a deep breath once Oikawa flopped on top of him, sniffling into his shirt. "Ew. Don't get your snot on me."

"It should've been me."

"Wha—?"

Oikawa lifted his head. "Too many people _died_. I-It should've been _me_."

"Stop."

"But—"

"No. Shh." Iwaizumi pulled Oikawa's face to his chest, one of his arms wrapping around his shoulders and the other stroking his hair tenderly. He bit his lip, feeling the back of his eyes prickle with tears. "Don't say things like that," he said, his voice cracking in the middle.

"I wish we could change the past," was muffled brokenly into the fabric.

"I know." Iwaizumi moved to cover his eyes with his hand. "I know..."

 

* * *

 

 

Yaku was blank, staring at the camera lens with no emotion.

"Describe to us about the attack."

Yaku swallowed, his hands trembling. "It's my fault."

"Yes, you've already said that. What we _need_ is—"

"It's my fault," he repeated, his voice rising slowly. "I shouldn't have shouted, I shouldn't have called out then he wouldn't have _died_ and now he's _gone_ oh God he was too young what have I _done_ —" He hunched over, slapping his hands over his ears and screaming. "IT'S _MY_ FAULT IT WAS ALL ME—"

"Someone sedate him! _Now!_ "

 

* * *

 

 

"We left him," Bokuto said, looking over at Akaashi out of the corner of his eye. "We left him, because that's what he told us to do."

"But he managed his way back just fine."

"But we didn't _know_ he was going to make it!" Bokuto shouted, his eyes piercing the lens. 

"It's a _good thing_ that he's returned," Akaashi said slowly, "but I think it would be _much_ more helpful if we focused on more important matters."

There was a pause, and then the scratching of pencil against paper.

 

* * *

 

 

Kiyoko leaned forward, turning her gaze to the ground. Her feet kicked back and forth on the stool she sat on.

"She saved us all," she whispered, looking up, and she was smiling. "She saved us all. She _sacrificed_ herself so we could live and—"

The camera lens focused.

"—and I loved her."

 

* * *

 

 

"I can't see a thing."

"Those kids were probably high on something and made shit up."

"But did you see all the _blood?_ The fire at the lodge? _Something_ happened."

"Maybe some kind of cult."

"Here, flash your flashlight over this way."

Squelching noises, low growling, scraping against metal floors.

A figure scuttled in the darkness, its half-developed teeth gnawing on the head of something _human_. Brown haired, freckled, and half-eaten. 

Wild blond hair, the hairband forgotten, stood on top of the creature's head. Its large hands dropped the head once it heard the footsteps, the voices, and saw the lights. They were getting closer, closer, and _closer_.

Its next meal. Fresh. _Fresh fresh meat_ —

The light shined on its face. Its half-deformed, torn up, _bloody_ face.

"It's a survivor!"

"Come on, let's get him up."

It snarled, baring its teeth out the half of its face. Its blond hair hung in its face, its left eye white and the right brown.

"Wait..."

"Get back! _Fuck!_ "

The screams echoed through the cavern one by one.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _survivors: kenma, kuroo, kageyama, hinata, suga, oikawa, iwaizumi, yaku, noya, takeda, tanaka, bokuto, akaashi, matsukawa, kyoutani, watari, kiyoko, yukie, kaori, tsukishima, komi, fukunaga, ukai_
> 
>  
> 
> thank you all for choosing to follow this story and support me till the very end! its been a rocky journey but we finally made it to the end, and i never thought i'd make it this far!
> 
> until next time!
> 
>  
> 
> [tumblr](http://saltyiwaizumi.tumblr.com/)


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